Low-flying military helicopters rattled homes on San Antonio’s northwest side. We learned they were special operations Chinooks from Fort Campbell in Kentucky.
SAN ANTONIO — A formation of military helicopters flying low over a northwest San Antonio neighborhood Monday evening caught the attention of residents and quickly spread across neighborhood apps and social media.
One family near Interstate 10 and Hausman Road captured the moment on video around 6:30 p.m., showing several helicopters flying in formation overhead.
Melinda Haynes said she was outside in her front yard with her daughter and granddaughter when they first heard the sound.
“My granddaughter was like, ‘What is that? What is that?’” Haynes said. “Then I could start hearing the rumble.”
Seconds later, Haynes said eight helicopters came into view.
“It wasn’t just one. It was two and then three,” she said.
The helicopters flew low over the neighborhood, loud enough that Haynes said the noise rattled her home.
“They were so incredibly low,” she said. “Windows were shaking, my dogs went ballistic.”
Video from the home’s Ring camera captured the family reacting as the helicopters passed overhead.
Neighbors soon began stepping outside to see what was happening.
“The neighbor over there thought maybe a plane was fixing to crash,” Haynes said.
Haynes said she is familiar with aircraft flying overhead in San Antonio, which is home to multiple military installations and often referred to as “Military City USA.”
“We’re familiar with the hospital air ambulance, fireworks going off at Fiesta Texas… Camp Bullis training,” she said. “This was different.”
She said the helicopters appeared to be flying north.
“We saw them coming from behind our house, which would be south, Lackland area, going toward the north thinking maybe Camp Bullis,” Haynes said.
Even in a city known for its military presence, she said the sight stood out.
“Even though we are a military city, I’m very familiar with Lackland and Kelly — that was not usual,” Haynes said.
The video quickly began circulating online after her daughter shared it on the Ring app.
As neighbors compared videos and searched online for answers, Haynes said the unexpected sight left some residents uneasy.
“Just because of escalating world tensions and us being the large military city that we are… the first thing that triggers in my mind is, ‘Oh my God, is there somebody targeting our bases?’” she said. “My father was an Air Force airplane mechanic. My uncle was an Army helicopter instructor. I’m very familiar with military life. That’s not something we see.”
After working for two days to determine what residents saw in the sky, KENS 5 learned the helicopters were part of a special operations training mission out of Fort Campbell in Kentucky.
This particular model of CH-47 Chinook is used in special operations only out of Fort Campbell. The helicopters are designed to transport elite forces and heavy equipment on long-range missions. They are built to fly low and fast, often at night, during special operations.
Fort Campbell is home to the Army’s 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, also known as the “Night Stalkers,” an aviation unit that supports special operations forces around the world.
U.S. Army officials also told KENS 5 the helicopters were conducting training exercises in and around Joint Base San Antonio–Lackland on Monday and Tuesday.
Officials said the exercises were conducted under strict safety protocols and crews worked to minimize impacts to nearby neighborhoods.
Haynes said she understands military training is part of living in San Antonio, but said residents are sometimes given advance notice when large exercises may create additional noise.
“I wish there was some way as the public we could get some kind of heads up,” she said, “because it’s likely to cause a lot of panic — especially for people who aren’t familiar.”
Army officials thanked residents for their support of Military City USA and apologized for any disruption caused by the temporary increase in aircraft activity.
Still, Haynes said the experience was unlike anything she had seen before in her decades living in San Antonio.
“It was just very out of the ordinary — even considering our city,” she said.