Army grounds all Apache helicopter flights after deadly crash; pilots identified
The Army on Friday temporarily grounded all Apache helicopter flights following this week’s fatal crash near Fort Hood, Texas.
The two pilots killed were identified as Chief Warrant Officer 2 Deontre T. Huey, 34, of Killeen, Texas, and Warrant Officer Seth L. Olmstead, 25, of Belton, Texas. Both were assigned to Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 227th Aviation Regiment, 1st Air Cavalry Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division.
They were killed at 1:40 p.m. local time Wednesday when the AH-64E Apache attack helicopter crashed into a grassy field near Salado, about 30 miles (48 kilometers) from Fort Hood, during a maintenance test flight, sparking a grass fire. They were the only two people aboard.
The cause remains unknown. A safety investigation team from the Army Combat Readiness Center at Fort Rucker, Alabama, arrived Thursday and is leading the investigation.
Fort Hood spans 214,968 acres (86,995 hectares) and is used to train and deploy heavy forces. In November 2015, four soldiers were killed when a Black Hawk crashed during training. In 2016, nine Fort Hood soldiers died after a rain-swollen creek swept their vehicle into rushing water.
The AH-64 Apache has been a key part of the military’s fleet since the first versions were deployed in 1984. Its two-person crew sits one behind the other, with the pilot in the rear and the co-pilot gunner in front.
