An AH-64E Apache attack helicopter sits grounded in a rice field in Hyeondeok-myeon, Pyeongtaek, South Korea, nearly 9 miles west of Camp Humphreys, May 18, 2026. (Yoojin Lee/Stars and Stripes)
PYEONGTAEK, South Korea — A U.S. Army helicopter made a precautionary landing in a rice field roughly 40 miles south of Seoul on Friday with no reported injuries.
The AH-64E Apache, assigned to the 2nd Infantry Division, touched down in a field in Hyeondeok-myeon, nearly 9 miles west of Camp Humphreys.
Both crew members were unharmed, and no fires or other secondary incidents were reported, the Yonhap News Agency said Friday, citing police and fire authorities.
The incident’s cause is under investigation, Maj. Eileen Poole, a 2nd ID spokeswoman, told Stars and Stripes by email Monday.
The aircraft was not damaged during the landing, she said.
An AH-64E Apache attack helicopter sits grounded in a rice field in Hyeondeok-myeon, Pyeongtaek, South Korea, nearly 9 miles west of Camp Humphreys, May 18, 2026. (Yoojin Lee/Stars and Stripes)
The 2nd Combat Aviation Brigade, which flies Apache, UH-60 Black Hawk and CH-47 Chinook helicopters, is based at Humphreys.
“With the support of local authorities in coordination with military personnel, the situation is under control,” Poole wrote.
The command cannot share where the aircraft’s flight originated or the route it was taking, due to operational security concerns, she said.
Poole did not say whether the Apache pilot declared an emergency or the nature of the problem that prompted the landing.
The safety of service members and the local community remains the command’s top priority, she said.
The command provided no additional details about the incident. Two soldiers who were guarding the aircraft on Monday afternoon declined to comment.
Preliminary statements from the crew indicated the helicopter’s engine may have overheated, according to Yonhap.
The U.S. military planned to repair and move the helicopter within three days, the report said.
