Two Killed as Army Apache Crashes in Salado, Texas
The AH-64 helicopter based at Fort Hood went down in a field Wednesday afternoon, sparking a large fire and prompting some evacuations, the Bell County Sheriff's Office said.
Two people aboard a U.S. Army helicopter were killed Wednesday when the aircraft crashed in Salado, Texas, the Bell County Sheriff's Office said.
The two were pronounced dead after officials responded to 911 calls around 1:30 p.m., said Cliff Coleman of the Bell County Sheriff's Office. Salado is about 50 miles north of Austin.
The aircraft was an AH-64 Apache attack helicopter based at Fort Hood, the installation said.
"Our immediate priority is securing the site and supporting the initial response efforts," Brig. Gen. Ethan Diven, the acting commanding general, said in a statement. "Our thoughts are with the crew and their families as we await further information."
The victims have not been publicly identified.
No structures were damaged and no other injuries were reported, Coleman said.
"It crashed into a field, and you could tell it was a violent crash," Coleman told reporters at the scene.
The crash touched off a large fire that "looks to be out of control," he said. A large area of land has burned, and the fire has prompted some evacuations in the area.
Local emergency responders, military personnel and law enforcement officers all responded. The criminal investigation division at Fort Hood is leading the inquiry.
The Army describes the AH-64 Apache on its website as a twin-engine, four-bladed, multi-mission attack helicopter designed as a highly stable aerial weapons-delivery platform, calling it "the most advanced aerial fighting vehicle in the world."
This article was produced with the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI), in accordance with our editorial policy.
