The Army released the names of two Fort Hood helicopter pilots who died when their Apache chopper crashed in Texas on Aug. 12.
The pilots were identified as Chief Warrant Officer 2 Deontre T. Huey and Warrant Officer Seth L. Olmstead, according to a statement by the Fort Hood Media Center on Aug. 14.
The pilots were killed when their AH-64E Apache attack helicopter “experienced a mishap” on Wednesday afternoon during a maintenance test flight approximately 30 miles away from Fort Hood.
The Army did not elaborate on what sort of mishap led to the crash but deployed a safety investigation team from Fort Rucker, Alabama, to probe events surrounding the incident.
The official causes of death for Huey and Olmstead have not been revealed.
Both were assigned to the Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 227th Aviation Regiment, 1st Air Cavalry Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division.
Huey was a 34-year-old from Killeen, Texas, who joined the Army in February 2014 as a motor transport operator.
Olmstead was a 25-year-old from Belton, Texas, who entered the Army in January 2023 as a warrant officer candidate.
“Our hearts and deepest condolences are with the families of the Soldiers we lost Wednesday,” said Lt. Gen. Kevin D. Admiral, III Armored Corps and Fort Hood commanding general. “The Army is a family, and a tragedy like this is felt throughout our formations and our community.”
The Army is providing resources to families and soldiers in the aftermath of the crash.
“In the difficult days ahead, our priority is to ensure these families and our Soldiers have the care and support they need,” Admiral added. “We are making all appropriate resources available to those affected by this loss.”
The Army revealed on Friday that it temporarily halted all Apache helicopter training missions after the deadly crash in Texas.
“The stand-down will remain in effect until we have a better understanding of the root cause of the accident,” the Army wrote in a statement on Aug. 14.
The Army’s safety procedures in the sky were previously criticized by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) after an Army Black Hawk helicopter and an American Airlines plane collided in the sky in Washington in January 2025.
All 67 people in the chopper and jet, flying from Wichita, died in the crash, which was the deadliest plane crash on U.S. soil since 2001.
The NTSB accused the military branch of failing to recognize the safety risks in the skies around Washington.
