The Pentagon said Friday that eight Apache helicopter pilots with the South Carolina Army National Guard have had their suspensions lifted after they were temporarily grounded following a low-altitude flight over a South Carolina beach.
Video showed the helicopters passing low over beachgoers during the July 4 “Salute from the Shore” flyover, an Independence Day event along the coast. In the footage, people on the beach can be seen waving, watching and recording the aircraft as they flew overhead.
The reason for the pilots’ initial suspension remains unclear. Rep. Russell Fry, a South Carolina Republican, wrote on X on Thursday that the pilots had been suspended over what he described as a “frivolous complaint,” though he did not provide additional details. The South Carolina Army National Guard said it could not address specific allegations, including questions related to 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.”
As of the Pentagon’s announcement, the South Carolina Army National Guard had not issued a public statement about the suspensions being lifted.
The episode echoes a similar situation earlier this year. In March, two AH-64 Army helicopters flew near singer Kid Rock’s Nashville home during a training mission, prompting the Army to initially suspend the pilots while the matter was reviewed. The following day, Hegseth said the suspensions had been lifted and that the pilots would not face an investigation or punishment.
