The U.S. Army temporarily halted all Apache helicopter training missions Friday after a fatal crash in Texas earlier this week killed two soldiers, military officials confirmed.
The Wednesday crash near Salado, Texas — about 30 miles from Fort Hood — claimed the lives of Chief Warrant Officer 2 Deontre T. Huey, 34, of Killeen, and Warrant Officer Seth L. Olmstead, 25, of Belton. The Army said they were assigned to Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 227th Aviation Regiment, 1st Air Cavalry Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division.
No cause has been released because the investigation is in its early stages. A safety investigation team from the Army Combat Readiness Center at Fort Rucker, Alabama, is working to determine what happened.
What the Left Is Saying
Progressive defense analysts and some Democratic lawmakers have used the incident to renew calls for increased military aviation funding and better support for soldiers stationed at large training installations like Fort Hood. The base spans 214,968 acres and has a history of deadly accidents during training exercises.
Some observers pointed to recent NTSB findings criticizing the Army's safety culture following the January 2025 collision between an Army Black Hawk helicopter and an American Airlines jet near Washington, D.C., which killed 67 people. The NTSB said the Army did a poor job recognizing safety risks in busy airspace around the nation's capital.
"These repeated tragedies underscore the need for sustained investment in training infrastructure and pilot readiness programs," said one defense policy analyst who tracks military aviation issues. "We cannot ask service members to operate complex aircraft without giving them the resources and rest cycles they need."
What the Right Is Saying
Conservative voices have largely supported the Army's swift decision to ground training missions while emphasizing that such stand-downs are a standard part of military safety protocols when accidents occur.
The Army noted it took similar action three years ago after 12 soldiers died in separate crashes in Alaska and Kentucky, resuming flights only after units completed additional training. Military advocates argue this demonstrates the institution's commitment to learning from mistakes without compromising ongoing combat operations.
Aviation safety expert John Cox, CEO of Safety Operating Systems, said the move signals the Army is prioritizing safety. "I am very much glad to see them doing that. It says that they're being proactive," Cox said. "You're guessing until you get some hard answers."
Some Republican defense hawks have noted that Apache helicopters remain deployed in combat missions in Iran around the Strait of Hormuz, where they are part of efforts to maintain open navigation channels. They argue this shows the Army can distinguish between essential combat operations and training activities.
What the Numbers Show
The Army has not specified how many Apache training missions will be affected by the stand-down or how long it expects the pause to last.
Chief Warrant Officer 2 Huey entered the Army in 2014; Warrant Officer Olmstead entered in 2023, making him a relatively junior officer. Both were based at Fort Hood, which has seen multiple fatal incidents over the past decade, including four soldiers killed when a Black Hawk crashed during a training exercise in November 2015 and nine soldiers who died in 2016 when a rain-swollen creek swept their vehicle into rushing waters.
The Apache attack helicopter has been a core part of Army aviation since the first delivery in 1984. More than 5,000 Apaches have been deployed by the U.S. military and its allies over the decades.
The Bottom Line
The Army's decision to halt Apache training missions represents a standard safety response following a fatal accident, one it has employed after similar incidents in recent years. Investigators are still gathering information about what caused the helicopter to crash in a grassy field near Salado, and officials have not provided a timeline for when they expect answers.
Military leaders have extended condolences to the families of Huey and Olmstead while emphasizing that the stand-down will continue until commanders understand the root cause of the accident. The Apache program remains active in overseas operations even as training flights are paused stateside.