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The Army has identified two 1st Cavalry Division soldiers who died in an Apache helicopter crash earlier this week.
The pilots were identified as Chief Warrant Officer 2 Deontre T. Huey and Warrant Officer Seth L. Olmstead. The two soldiers were assigned to Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 227th Aviation Regiment, 1st Air Cavalry Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, Army officials said Friday.
The soldiers were flying a maintenance test flight when their AH-64E Apache helicopter from Fort Hood, Texas, crashed Wednesday, officials said. The helicopter crashed in Salado, Texas, which is roughly 30 miles southeast of the base. The two soldiers were pronounced dead at the scene, according to officials from the Bell County Sheriff’s Office.
Huey, 34, from Killeen, Texas, joined the Army in February 2014 as a motor transport operator. He was assigned to the Fort Hood unit in February 2022.
Olmstead, 25, from Belton, Texas, joined the Army in January 2023 as a warrant officer candidate. He had been part of the unit since October 2025.
“Our hearts and deepest condolences are with the families of the Soldiers we lost Wednesday,” Lt. Gen. Kevin D. Admiral, the commanding general of Fort Hood and the III Armored Corps, said in a release. “The Army is a family, and a tragedy like this is felt throughout our formations and our community.”
The helicopter crash erupted in a “large fire that was burning out of control,” according to a Thursday Facebook post from the sheriff’s office. Officials said the fire burned 155 acres and threatened several nearby homes and buildings, including one that was lost.
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Fort Hood officials said they are making chaplains, support personnel and other resources available to other soldiers.
“In the difficult days ahead, our priority is to ensure these families and our soldiers have the care and support they need,” Admiral said. “We are making all appropriate resources available to those affected by this loss.”
The Apache crash comes after several aircraft training accidents in recent months across the services, including a B-52 Stratofortress crash at Edwards Air Force Base in California that killed five airmen and three civilians. Other recent accidents include two Navy EA-18G Growler jets that collided midair during a demonstration in Idaho, a Marine Corps F/A-18 Hornet crash during a training mission in Washington, and an F-35B crash during a landing in Southern California.
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