Pentagon reinstates suspended Apache pilots following July 4 flyover

Eight South Carolina National Guard AH-64 Apache helicopter pilots under a safety investigation for a low beach flyover on the 250th anniversary of American independence are no longer grounded after the Pentagon reversed their flight suspension.

“Carry on Patriots,” the Pentagon’s chief spokesman, Sean Parnell, wrote Friday on X. Their suspension was over effective immediately, he added.

His post included a statement issued Thursday night by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who said, “We’ll fix this,” in response to local news reports that the pilots had been suspended.

When asked Friday morning about Hegseth’s comments, the Pentagon referred Stars and Stripes to Parnell’s statement on X.

The Apaches were part of a statewide annual July 4 flyover called “Salute from the Shore,” which also included U.S. military F-16s, a C-17 and a handful of civilian vintage aircraft, according to organizers.

The aircraft flew along the South Carolina coastline, passing over beaches including Myrtle Beach, Charleston Harbor, Pawley’s Island and Hilton Head.

The Salute from the Shore official Instagram account identified the Apache pilots’ unit as Alpha Company, 1-151st Attack Battalion from McEntire Joint National Guard Base near Columbia.

Videos of the helicopters whirring over waving bystanders on the beach and in the water were widely available on social media, including one of the helicopters flying low before banking steeply upward over the crowds.

Another video posted July 4 by the organization received more than 33,000 emojis expressing approval, while the more than 550 comments made to the post were overwhelmingly positive.

Federal Aviation Administration regulations require fixed-wing aircraft to remain at least 500 feet above the surface in uncongested areas and at least 500 feet from any person, vessel, vehicle or structure over open water or sparsely populated areas.

Helicopters, however, may operate below those minimums if the flight can be conducted safely and without creating a hazard to people or property on the ground and if the aircraft is following an approved flight path.

For the crews involved in the July 4 flyover, the Guard temporarily suspended the soldiers and was reviewing the flight profile of the Apaches, the Sun News in Myrtle Beach reported Thursday.

A flight profile includes the altitude and speed of an aircraft along its specific flight path.

After state lawmakers blasted the suspension, the Guard posted a clarification on X saying that the temporary flight suspension was “not a disciplinary action” and that the pilots were continuing their daily duties on the ground.

“Conducting thorough reviews when questions arise is how we can maintain” high safety standards and “ensure we can safely participate in future public events,” the Guard statement said in part.

The July 4 incident was the second time within a few months that Hegseth ordered the reinstatement of Apache helicopter pilots who were under a safety review.

Hours after the crews of two Apache helicopters were suspended after hovering outside musician Kid Rock’s home near Nashville, Tenn., on March 28, Hegseth tweeted, “No punishment. No Investigation. Carry on, patriots.”