A U.S. Army AH-64E Apache crashed near Salado in Bell County, Texas, on Tuesday afternoon, killing both crew members aboard. The helicopter, assigned to Fort Hood and operating on a routine training flight, went down in a field south of the base near FM 2843 and Kuykendall Road, triggering a large grass fire and an Army investigation.
Emergency calls reached Bell County authorities shortly after 1:30 p.m. local time, and responders found the wreckage already burning. Both occupants were pronounced dead at 2:30 p.m., with their identities withheld pending notification of next of kin. Officials said the fire spread across more than 150 acres but did not damage homes or structures, and no injuries on the ground were reported.
The Army’s Criminal Investigation Division is leading the probe, and the cause has not been disclosed. The helicopter was described as an AH-64E Apache attack aircraft associated with the 1st Cavalry Division, underscoring the operational risk profile of routine military training flights at one of the service’s busiest installations.