Army identifies 2 young soldiers killed in Apache helicopter crash in Texas
The U.S. Army has identified two young soldiers after they were killed in a military helicopter crash in Salado, Texas.
The two-seater Army Apache attack helicopter based at Fort Hood "experienced a mishap" "during a maintenance test flight" Wednesday afternoon and crashed in a field near Fort Hood, according to the Army.
The Army on Friday identified the two pilots on board as Chief Warrant Officer 2 Deontre T. Huey, 34, and Warrant Officer Seth L. Olmstead, 25, both from Texas.
Huey had been in the Army since 2014, and Olmstead joined in 2023.
"Our hearts and deepest condolences are with the families of the Soldiers we lost," Lt. Gen. Kevin D. Admiral, III Armored Corps and Fort Hood commanding general, said in a statement. "The Army is a family, and a tragedy like this is felt throughout our formations and our community."
"Our priority is to ensure these families and our Soldiers have the care and support they need," Admiral added. "We are making all appropriate resources available to those affected."
No buildings or structures were damaged in the crash, the Bell County Sheriff's Office confirmed to ABC News.
The Army said a team from the U.S. Army Combat Readiness Center is leading the safety investigation.
On Friday afternoon, the Army announced that it's ordering a temporary stand down of all Apache training flights "until we have a better understanding of the root cause of the accident."
Recent data shows that Apaches have a higher number of recent mishaps than other helicopters in the Army inventory.
