Two U.S. Army soldiers were killed Wednesday when an AH-64 Apache helicopter from Fort Hood crashed during a routine training flight near Salado in Central Texas, military and local officials confirmed.
The helicopter went down in a field shortly after 1:30 p.m., about 60 miles north of Austin. The Bell County Sheriff’s Office said both crew members died at the scene. Their identities had not been released as officials worked to notify their families.
The crash ignited a grass fire that prompted precautionary evacuations from several nearby homes. Authorities said the aircraft did not strike any houses or other structures, and local fire departments, law-enforcement officers and military personnel responded to secure the area and control the flames.
“Our thoughts and deepest sympathies are with the families, friends, and fellow troopers of those involved during this incredibly difficult time,” Brig. Gen. Ethan Diven, acting commanding general of the 1st Cavalry Division, said in a statement reported by the American Legion.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation. The Army’s Fort Hood criminal investigation division is leading the inquiry, according to the Associated Press.
