Army Resumes Apache Flights After Fatal Crash Near Salado Kills Two

Apache helicopter training flights have resumed following a deadly crash in central Texas.

U.S. Army Resumes Apache Flight Training Following Deadly Central Texas Crash

The United States Army has lifted a temporary suspension on AH-64 Apache helicopter training flights. This follows an in-depth safety evaluation following a fatal training incident in Central Texas. Flight operations had been temporarily halted to allow military investigators time to review standard operational procedures and safety protocols.

Read More: Two Killed As Fort Hood Apache Helicopter Crashes In Salado

Fatal Flight

The decision to pause routine flights came after an Apache helicopter crashed on August 12 in a field near Salado, located roughly 30 miles from Fort Hood. The incident resulted in the deaths of both crew members on board: Chief Warrant Officer 2 Deontre T. Huey, 34, of Killeen, and Warrant Officer Seth L. Olmstead, 25, of Belton. Both were assigned to Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 227th Aviation Regiment, within the 1st Cavalry Division’s 1st Air Cavalry Brigade. Huey had been in military service since 2014, while Olmstead enlisted in 2023.

Task & Purpose

An investigative team from the U.S. Army Combat Readiness Center, headquartered at Fort Rucker, Alabama, is actively examining the crash site to identify the underlying technical or operational causes.

Safety Groundings are Standard Procedure

Safety groundings across Army aviation units have occurred in prior years following severe accidents, such as the 2023 fleet-wide stand-down following fatal multi-aircraft collisions in Alaska and Kentucky. According to KXXV, the recent Texas crash adds to the historical safety challenges documented at the 214,968-acre installation, which previously recorded deadly training events including a 2015 Black Hawk crash.

History of the Apache

First introduced in 1984, the Apache attack helicopter remains a primary weapon system for military aviation, with over 5,000 distributed globally to American forces and allied nations. Officials noted that while local training flights were temporarily paused for safety reviews, global combat operations utilizing the aircraft platform remained active without interruption.