Two Army National Guard crew members on board an Apache helicopter were killed when the aircraft crashed in the waters near Galveston Bay in southeastern Texas. Coast Guard divers entered the waters southeast of Houston Wednesday afternoon after reports of the helicopter breaking up in flight, according to an Associated Press report. The Houston Chronicle reported Thursday the AH-64 was on a training mission from its base atEllington Airport. The circumstances are still under investigation and crews are retrieving the wreckage from the water, the newspaper reported.
News videos show Coast Guard rescuers in the water and responders at a cruise ship terminal, along with what appear to be an aircraft floating inverted in the water and a piece of a rotor blade on land.Witnesses reported seeing the helicopter flying low before hearing a noise and seeing the aircraft break apart, the AP reported. Debris was seen in the bay as rescuers dropped from helicopters into the water.The Apache, a twin turboshaft attack helicopter with a two-pilot crew, was flying on a mission for theArmy Air National Guard andis based atEllington Field near Houston.
