SALADO, Texas — Fort Hood officials have identified the two pilots killed when an AH-64E Apache attack helicopter crashed near Salado during a maintenance test flight, sparking a wildfire that burned about 155 acres before firefighters brought it under control.
Officials said Chief Warrant Officer 2 Deontre T. Huey, 34, and Warrant Officer Seth L. Olmstead, 25, died in the crash, which occurred around 1:40 p.m. Aug. 12. Both were assigned to Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 227th Aviation Regiment, 1st Air Cavalry Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division.
Huey's home of record is listed as Killeen. He entered the Army in February 2014 as a motor transport operator and had been with the unit since February 2022.
Olmstead's home of record is listed as Belton. He entered the Army in January 2023 as a warrant officer candidate and had been assigned to the unit since October 2025.
"Our hearts and deepest condolences are with the families of the Soldiers we lost Wednesday," said Lt. Gen. Kevin D. Admiral, commanding general of III Armored Corps and Fort Hood. "The Army is a family, and a tragedy like this is felt throughout our formations and our community."
Admiral said chaplains and other support personnel have been made available to those affected.
"In the difficult days ahead, our priority is to ensure these families and our Soldiers have the care and support they need," he said. "We are making all appropriate resources available to those affected by this loss."
The helicopter went down in a field about a half mile west of the 16400 block of Kuykendall Branch Road in South Salado, according to the Bell County Sheriff's Office, which received a 911 call reporting the crash shortly after 1:30 p.m. Deputies arrived to find the aircraft engulfed in flames."It crashed into a field. You could tell it was a violent crash," Bell County Sheriff's Office spokesperson Cliff Coleman said.
The crash ignited what became known as the Dove Hollow Fire, which burned roughly 155 acres in Bell County before firefighters reached full containment Thursday.
More than 200 firefighters from 22 agencies and about 100 law enforcement personnel from nine agencies responded. Five homes and nine outbuildings were threatened; all five homes and eight of the nine outbuildings were saved.
Fort Hood personnel remain at the scene, working with local law enforcement and Army investigative agencies. A safety investigation team from the U.S. Army Combat Readiness Center at Fort Rucker, Alabama, arrived Aug. 13 and will lead the investigation into the cause of the crash.
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