JUNE 9, 2026
U.S. Army Apache Helicopter Crashes Near Strait of Hormuz; Both Crew Members Rescued
A U.S. Army AH-64 Apache helicopter went down near the coast of Oman at approximately 3:30 a.m. local time on Tuesday, June 8, while on patrol in regional waters. U.S. Central Command confirmed that both crew members were rescued within approximately two hours and were in stable condition. President Donald Trump told reporters at John F. Kennedy International Airport that "the pilots are fine" and that no one was injured.
The helicopter crashed at 7:33 p.m. ET on June 8 (3:30 a.m. local Tuesday) off the Omani coast, according to a CENTCOM statement posted to X. The statement said rescue efforts were led by U.S. Naval Forces Central Command and the 82nd Airborne Division, with support from U.S. Air Force and Navy units including U.S. 5th Fleet's Task Force 59. The cause of the incident remained under investigation.
Trump acknowledged the crash while speaking to journalists before boarding Air Force One at JFK, where he had earlier watched the NBA Finals. "The pilots are fine. Yeah. Nobody injured," he said, adding that a report would be issued the following day. The New York Times was first to report on the crash, according to the Associated Press.
Apache helicopters have been a central asset in the U.S. military's enforcement of a blockade on Iranian crude oil shipments and tankers, a campaign aimed at pressuring Tehran into a nuclear and ceasefire agreement. Fox News provided additional CENTCOM blockade context: as of June 8, CENTCOM forces had disabled seven non-compliant vessels, redirected 134 ships that complied with blockade directions, and allowed 42 vessels carrying humanitarian aid to pass since the blockade began on April 13. On the same day as the helicopter crash, an F/A-18 Super Hornet from USS Abraham Lincoln fired a precision munition into the engineering and steering spaces of the Palau-flagged tanker M/T Marivex after its crew failed to comply with U.S. directions while transiting toward Iran.