Apache pilots’ suspensions lifted after flyby over South Carolina beach

The suspensions of eight Apache helicopter pilots in the South Carolina Army National Guard who flew at a low altitude over a beach have been lifted, the Pentagon said Friday, after they were temporarily suspended pending review. 

Video showed the helicopters flying low over a South Carolina beach as part of a July 4th “Salute from the Shore” flyover. The video shows beachgoers waving at and filming the helicopters. 

It’s not clear what led to the pilots’ suspension. Congressman Russell Fry, a Republican from South Carolina, said on X on Thursday that the pilots had been suspended because of a “frivolous complaint,” but did not offer any further details. The South Carolina Army National Guard said that it could not comment on specific allegations, “including questions regarding flight altitude or Federal Aviation Administration Regulations.” 

The South Carolina Army National Guard said on X on Thursday that the suspension was a “routine, non-punitive safety measure” and “not a disciplinary action.” The soldiers “remain in good standing” and were still conducting non-flight duties, the national guard said. 

The decision to suspend the pilots quickly led to backlash online. Fry wrote to Major General Robin B. Stillwell, the head of the South Carolina Army National Guard, to say that he believed the suspension was “misguided” and a “misuse of resources,” according to a letter he shared on X. State Representative Tim McGinnis, a Republican from South Carolina, called the suspension “ridiculous” and said he had reached out to the South Carolina Army National Guard and the governor’s office. 

Late Thursday night, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth wrote on X that officials would “fix this.” 

On Friday morning, Sean Parnell, the assistant to Hegseth, said on X that “effective immediately, the suspension of all involved South Carolina pilots has been lifted.” 

The South Carolina Army National Guard has not publicly commented about the lifting of the suspension. 

A similar series of events occurred in March, when two AH-64 Army helicopters made a flyby to the Nashville home of singer Kid Rock during a training mission. The Army initially suspended the pilots pending investigation. The next day, Hegseth said the pilots’ suspension had been lifted and that there would be no investigation or punishment.