The crew operating two Apache helicopters that were seen hovering outside the home of singer and rapper Kid Rock over the weekend has been suspended from flying, a spokesperson for the Army said Tuesday.
The aircrew has been grounded while the Army conducts a formal investigation into why the AH-64 helicopters flew near the singer’s Nashville house and a No Kings protest during a training mission.
Army spokesperson Maj. Montrell Russell said in a statement that the investigation will look into “the circumstances surrounding the mission, including compliance with relevant FAA regulations, aviation safety protocol, and approval requirements.”
“The Army takes any allegations of unauthorized or unsafe flight operations very seriously and is committed to enforcing standards and holding personnel accountable,” Russell said.
It is not clear what the purpose of the training mission was. It was also not immediately clear how many people the suspension affected.
Kid Rock said in an interview with local ABC affiliate WKRN that he thinks the crew is “going to be alright.”
“My buddy’s commander-in-chief,” he added, referring to President Trump. He also said he doesn’t know what the Army is looking into, as the helicopters “stopped for, I don’t know, seconds? A minute?”
The singer said, “It’s not the first time they’ve flown over my house,” noting the pilots fly from Fort Campbell and he often sees the helicopters.
After Kid Rock posted two videos of the helicopters on social media Saturday, Maj. Jonathon Bless, a spokesperson for the 101st Airborne Division, said in a statement Monday that the Army had opened an investigation into the incident, adding they “take all concerns regarding aircraft operations and their impact on the surrounding community seriously.”
The videos Kid Rock shared on social media show helicopters hovering outside his home. One video shows him standing poolside next to a replica of the Statue of Liberty, clapping wildly, as the helicopter hovers. He salutes the pilots before they fly away.
A second video shows Kid Rock pumping his fist as the helicopter flies away.
In his interview with WKRN, Kid Rock said he spoke to pilots at Fort Campbell last year during a Thanksgiving celebration. The singer, who appeared at the holiday event with Vice President JD Vance, said he told the pilots they are “always welcome” to cruise by his house.
He told WKRN he thinks it’s a great thing if it made the pilots happy to fly by his house and “it’s harmless.”
