Overview
- An AH-64 Apache attack helicopter based at Fort Hood crashed into a field south of Salado on Wednesday, killing the two crew members aboard and leaving a violent wreckage site.
- The impact ignited a large grass fire that forced evacuations and closures on nearby FM 2843 while Texas A&M Forest Service and local fire units worked to increase containment into the evening.
- Fort Hood personnel and local law enforcement secured the scene and the Fort Hood Criminal Investigation Division has taken the lead on the inquiry; no cause has been released.
- The Army is withholding the service members’ names pending next-of-kin notification and will transport the deceased to Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center for processing.
- The AH-64 is a two-seat Army attack helicopter, and officials note the crash joins a string of recent military aviation accidents that have prompted heightened scrutiny of training operations and safety reviews.