--- title: "Army grounds Apache helicopter training flights after deadly Fort Hood crash" description: "The temporary pause on training flights comes two days after two soldiers died during a maintenance test flight." date: "2026-08-14" modified: "2026-08-14" authors: - name: "Nicholas Slayton" job_title: "Contributing Editor" link: "https://taskandpurpose.com/authors/nicholas-slayton/" url: "https://taskandpurpose.com/news/army-grounds-apache-training-flights/" categories: - "Aircraft" - "Army" - "Helicopters" - "Military Branches" - "News" - "Tech & Tactics" --- # Army grounds Apache helicopter training flights after deadly Fort Hood crash ![U.S. Army Soldiers assigned to 1-3 Attack Battalion, Task Force Vipers, conducted night gunnery tables with Joint Terminal Attack Controllers (JTACs) and U.S. Air Force Tactical Air Control Party (TACP) specialists at 21st Central Air Force Training Ground, Nadarzyce, Poland on May 10, 2026. The controllers verify target identification, confirm friend-or-foe positions and are authorized to give the "fire at will" command during air support missions. This training and coordination serves to set the standard for Apache helicopters operated by the Polish Armed Forces, which will train and certify at the base in the near future. (DoD Photos by Greg Czaplicki)]() *Soldiers train with an AH-64 Apache helicopter at 21st Central Air Force Training Ground, Nadarzyce, Poland on May 10, 2026. Photo by Staff Sgt. Dean Johnson.* The Army is temporarily halting all Apache helicopter training flights after [two soldiers]() were killed in a crash this week. On Friday afternoon, the Army said leaders ordered a “temporary stand-down of AH64 Apache training flight operations.” The announcement came two days after an AH-64E Apache from 1st Cavalry Division at Fort Hood crashed during a maintenance test flight. “The stand-down will remain in effect until we have a better understanding of the root cause of the accident,” the statement said. “We currently have no additional information to share.” The U.S. Army Combat Readiness Center is investigating the cause of the crash. The Apache crashed roughly 30 miles away from the base, in Salado, Texas. The crash [killed]() Chief Warrant Officer 2 Deontre T. Huey and Warrant Officer Seth L. Olmstead, two pilots assigned to Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 227th Aviation Regiment, 1st Air Cavalry Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division. The two-seater attack helicopter has been in service since the 1980s and has been [updated]() to deal with changing tactics and weapons. Wednesday’s crash was the latest in several military aviation mishaps inside the United States over the last four months. The crashes have involved aircraft from across the military and some have been fatal. ## Author Nicholas Slayton is a contributing editor for Task & Purpose, covering conflict for over 12 years, from the Arab Spring to the war in Ukraine. His previous reporting can be found on the non-profit Aslan Media, The Atlantic, Al Jazeera, The New Republic, The American Prospect, Architectural Digest, The Daily Beast, and the Los Angeles Downtown News. You can reach him at nicholas@taskandpurpose.com or find him on Twitter @NSlayton and Bluesky at @nslayton.bsky.social. ### Author social links [Twitter]()