2 Dead After Military Chopper Crashes In Texas Field

August 12, 2026 8:31 PM ET Two pilots died when an Army attack helicopter went down in a field south of Salado, Texas, on Wednesday afternoon, starting a grass fire in the process.The AH-64 Apache, based at Fort Hood, hit the ground around 1:35 p.m. Both crew members were pronounced dead roughly an hour later, Bell County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Cliff Coleman told CNN. The aircraft crashed in an open field and struck no buildings or people, Coleman said.“It crashed into a field. You could tell it was a violent crash,” he told CBS Austin. (RELATED: Four Injured After US Coast Guard Helicopter Crashes In Alaska)The wreck touched off a blaze that Texas A&M Forest Service crews later named the Dove Hollow Fire, according to CBS Austin. The fire consumed roughly 100 acres and reached 45% con