U.S. "Apache" Helicopter Crash Rate Reaches Historical High

Reference News Network reported on August 27 According to a report by CNN on August 24, an analysis of U.S. military accident data by CNN shows that due to a large number of failures in the transmission system of the Army's AH-64 Apache attack helicopter, the crash rate of this helicopter has reached a historic high.

Since October of last year, there have been five major crash incidents involving the Apache helicopter. Earlier this month, a fatal related incident occurred in Texas, resulting in the deaths of two soldiers and sparking a wildfire. The Army subsequently suspended routine training flights conducted by Apache helicopter pilots. With this incident, the fiscal year 2026 (October 2025 to September 2026 - editor's note) may become the second most severe fiscal year for flight accidents since the new model of the AH-64 Apache helicopter was introduced in 2011.

CNN found that the rate of major crash incidents involving the Apache helicopter (military terminology refers to these as "Class A accidents," which involve fatalities, permanent disabilities, or damage to the aircraft or property losses exceeding $2.5 million) this fiscal year is higher than the annual average, comparable to the Army's most severe accident rate in fiscal year 2024.

In fiscal year 2024, accidents involving all models of Army helicopters surged, with nine major crash incidents involving the Apache helicopter. That year, Army leadership ordered a special safety training program and attributed the accidents to human error, stemming from a decline in pilot experience levels and an increase in training intensity and complexity following the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

However, the reasons for the surge in accidents this fiscal year remain unclear. A flight safety briefing released by the Army in July stated that just over half of the Apache helicopter accidents in fiscal year 2026 were primarily attributed to human error.

CNN estimates that the major accident rate for the Apache helicopter this fiscal year is approximately 6.24 incidents per 100,000 flight hours.

Two internal safety reports obtained by CNN indicate that the AH-64E Apache helicopters, which were introduced in 2011, have experienced significant issues with their transmission systems this year, which could lead to complete failure of the tail rotor, power supply, and hydraulic systems. Once these systems fail, the helicopter could suddenly spin, and the flight control system may also malfunction.

The U.S. Defense One website was the first to report on the initial safety report released in April. This report confirmed potential defects in the transmission systems of 70 Apache helicopters, requiring all units to ground the affected helicopters until repairs were completed. A follow-up report released in mid-July indicated that the root cause was still under "investigation," and an additional 10 Apache helicopters suspected of having transmission system failures were added to the no-fly list.

U.S. Army spokesperson Montrell Russell declined to comment on questions regarding the investigation into the transmission system and was unwilling to disclose the "preliminary investigation results" of this month's fatal crash incident in Texas. (Translation/ Wu Mei)