The U.S. Army temporarily halted AH-64 Apache training flight operations Friday after Wednesday’s crash near Fort Hood killed two pilots during a maintenance test flight.
Army Public Affairs announced the stand-down as investigators work to determine what caused the helicopter to go down near Salado.
“The stand-down will remain in effect until we have a better understanding of the root cause of the accident,” the Army said.
The service did not say when training flights could resume.
Pilots identified
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, Fort Hood identified the pilots as Chief Warrant Officer 2 Deontre T. Huey, 34, and Warrant Officer Seth L. Olmstead, 25. Fort Hood listed Killeen as Huey’s home of record and Belton as Olmstead’s.
The AH-64E Apache crashed at approximately 1:40 p.m. on August 12 near Salado, Fort Hood said. Both pilots served in Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 227th Aviation Regiment, 1st Air Cavalry Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division.
Huey entered the Army in February 2014 as a motor transport operator and joined the unit in February 2022. Olmstead entered the Army in January 2023 as a warrant officer candidate and joined the unit in October 2025.
“The Army is a family, and a tragedy like this is felt throughout our formations and our community,” Lt. Gen. Kevin D. Admiral, III Armored Corps and Fort Hood commanding general, said.
Crash investigation underway
A safety team from the U.S. Army Combat Readiness Center at Fort Rucker, Alabama, arrived Thursday and is leading the investigation, according to Fort Hood. The Army has not released a cause.
The impact ignited the Dove Hollow Fire. Approximately 155 acres burned before authorities reported 100% containment Thursday, according to the Bell County Sheriff’s Office. Officials expect to declare the fire fully controlled around 5 p.m. Sunday if no significant flare-ups occur.
The helicopter did not strike any structures. The fire threatened five homes and nine outbuildings, all of which firefighters saved. Officials said the fire destroyed one other outbuilding.
More than 200 firefighters from 22 agencies and approximately 100 law enforcement personnel from nine agencies responded.
