Three people were killed when two helicopters collided in mid-air near McMinnville Municipal Airport in Oregon on Thursday 29 October, according to local authorities. The aircraft came down in a private farm field south-east of McMinnville after the collision.
The Yamhill County Sheriff’s Office said it received reports of an aircraft incident at about 14:10 local time. Emergency responders subsequently located the two wrecked helicopters in the field. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said the collision occurred at approximately 14:15 local time near the airport.
“Unfortunately all three of those individuals are deceased,”
Yamhill County sheriff Sam Elliott said at a news conference.
Three occupants were on board
The helicopters were identified as a 1995 Robinson R22 and a 2018 Airbus AS 350B3. Sheriff Elliott said two people had been travelling in the Robinson and one person was aboard the Airbus.
The victims included Maddie Aasbo, 22, a flight instructor from Texas, and Tyler Sturdevant, 38, a helicopter pilot from Newberg, Oregon. The third victim was a student pilot from the United Kingdom. Authorities had not released that person’s identity while arrangements were being made to notify relatives.
| Aircraft | Occupants | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 Robinson R22 | Two | Both occupants killed |
| 2018 Airbus AS 350B3 | One | Pilot killed |
The Yamhill County Sheriff’s Office said local authorities were working with the British consulate and the FBI to notify the British student pilot’s family. The local aviation school Jerry Trimble Helicopters, based in McMinnville, confirmed that one of its aircraft had been involved in an aviation incident and said it was deeply saddened by the event.
FAA and NTSB investigation
The crash site has been handed over to the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). The FAA confirmed that a Robinson R22 and an Airbus H125 had collided in mid-air near McMinnville Municipal Airport. The NTSB will lead the investigation and provide further updates.
Investigators have not established why the helicopters collided. No cause has been identified by the FAA, NTSB or local authorities, and the investigation remains ongoing. The response involved local police, sheriff’s deputies, firefighters and Oregon State Police, while traffic around the accident area was temporarily restricted as emergency personnel worked at the scene.
