Three Killed After Two Helicopters Collide Near McMinnville Airport
Three people were killed Thursday afternoon when two helicopters collided in midair near McMinnville Municipal Airport. Authorities identified two victims, including a 22-year-old flight instructor and a 38-year-old pilot. Federal investigators are examining the crash.
MCMINNVILLE, Ore. - Three people were killed Thursday afternoon, October 29, after two helicopters collided in midair near McMinnville Municipal Airport in Yamhill County.
The Yamhill County Sheriff's Office said witnesses reported the collision at approximately 2:10 p.m. near Southeast Amity-Dayton Highway (Highway 233) and Southeast Cruickshank Road, southeast of McMinnville.
Both helicopters crashed into a field alongside Highway 233. Emergency personnel who arrived at the scene confirmed that all three people aboard the aircraft had died.
Authorities identified two of the victims as 22-year-old Maddie Aasbo, a flight instructor from Texas, and 38-year-old Tyler Delane Sturdevant of Newberg.
Aasbo was aboard a 1995 Robinson R22 helicopter with a student pilot from the United Kingdom. The student's identity has not been released pending notification of family members.
Sturdevant was the sole occupant of a 2018 Airbus AS350B3 helicopter.
Deputies from the Yamhill County Sheriff's Office, officers with the McMinnville Police Department and troopers from Oregon State Police responded to the crash, along with fire and medical personnel.
The collision happened near McMinnville Municipal Airport, and the wreckage came to rest on privately owned farmland.
According to reporting by FOX 12, a witness who was standing on the roof of a nearby barn saw the helicopters collide before they fell to the ground. The witness called 911.
The crash also prompted the closure of Highway 233 west of Dayton and nearby local roads while emergency crews and investigators worked at the scene.
Jerry Trimble Helicopters, a flight training company based at McMinnville Municipal Airport, confirmed that one of its aircraft was involved in the collision.
The company expressed condolences to those affected and said it was cooperating with law enforcement and federal investigators.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are investigating what caused the two aircraft to collide.
The NTSB has sent investigators to the scene. The agency said the wreckage will be documented before being moved to a secure facility for further examination.
As of Friday morning, October 30, investigators had not announced what led to the collision.
The Yamhill County Sheriff's Office extended its condolences to the victims' families and friends.
The investigation remains ongoing.
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