According to a report by The Associated Press on August 12, an American AH-64 Apache armed helicopter crashed near Fort Hood in central Texas that day, killing two people on board. The accident also ignited a large area of grassland, and several nearby residents were evacuated for a time.
Hurricane Command confirmed that the crashed helicopter was an AH-64 “Apache”. A spokesperson for the Bell County Sheriff's Office, Cliff Coleman, stated that both people on board were dead, and the helicopter did not collide with any houses or other buildings when it crashed.
Crash scene footage
A US military officer who did not wish to be named told The Associated Press that the helicopter was performing a routine training mission at the time. The cause of the accident has not been announced yet, and the Fort Hood Criminal Investigation Department has taken charge of the investigation.
Surveillance footage shows that the crash site is completely blackened, with flames still burning near the wreckage and thick smoke issuing. Firefighters are dealing with the fire situation. Coleman described this as "a severe crash accident." Air-based firefighting resources were also deployed in the area, and flame retardants were dropped there.
The AH-64 "Apache" is one of the main armed helicopters used by the U.S. military. The first model was put into service in 1984. It is usually piloted by two crew members: the pilot sits in the rear seat, and the co-pilot, who also serves as a gunner, sits in the front seat.
Husser Field is an important training and deployment base for the U.S. military's heavy units. In November 2015, a Black Hawk helicopter at the base crashed during training, resulting in the death of four soldiers. In 2016, nine more soldiers from Husser Field died when their military vehicles were washed away by swollen streams.
