Three Killed in Midair Helicopter Collision Near McMinnville, Oregon
Two helicopters collided in midair near McMinnville Municipal Airport in Yamhill County, Oregon, at about 2:15 p.m. local time on Thursday, Oct. 29. The Yamhill County Sheriff's Office said emergency calls came in at about 2:14 to 2:15 p.m. reporting wreckage near Southeast Highway 154 and Stringtown Road, a few miles east of the airport. Both aircraft came down in a privately owned farm field next to Highway 233, scattering debris across the field as firefighters, paramedics and deputies converged on the scene.
Yamhill County Sheriff Sam Elliott confirmed at a news conference Thursday night that all three people aboard the two helicopters were killed and there were no survivors. Elliott said two occupants were in the Robinson helicopter and one was in the Airbus, and all three were found dead inside the aircraft. The Federal Aviation Administration had said earlier in the day that three people were aboard the two helicopters; the sheriff's nighttime briefing fixed their seating and identities.
The victims were identified as Maddie Aasbo, 22, a flight instructor from Texas, and a student pilot from the United Kingdom, who were flying together in the Robinson R22; and Tyler Sturdevant, 38, of Newberg, Oregon, who was the sole occupant of the Airbus helicopter. The name of the British student pilot has not been released while authorities work with officials in the United Kingdom to notify the family. The aircraft were described as a 1995 Robinson R22, a two-seat helicopter, and a 2018 Airbus AS350-series helicopter, a type that can carry up to six passengers depending on configuration.
A witness account cited in local coverage described one helicopter turning before it propelled downward while the other dropped straight down. Flight-tracking data showed one of the helicopters, described as a Precision aircraft, taking off from McMinnville Municipal Airport at about 1:50 p.m., flying to Newberg, making a couple of loops over the city and heading back toward McMinnville before its track ended less than a mile east of the airport, roughly 20 minutes after takeoff. Airport Manager John Paskell said the collision happened off airport property and did not disrupt airport operations, which remained open; he said he understood both helicopters were based at the airport but could not confirm what activities they were conducting.
The Oregon Department of Transportation closed Highway 233 about one mile (1.6 kilometers) west of Dayton, along with some nearby county roads, at the request of emergency responders, with no estimated reopening time. The sheriff's office urged the public to stay clear of the area. McMinnville, about 35 to 40 miles southwest of Portland and home to about 34,000 people, relies on Highway 233 as a local artery, and the closure snarled traffic around the crash site for hours.
The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board have taken over the investigation, with the NTSB leading and expected to provide further updates; deputies are securing the scene for the federal investigators. Officials have not stated what caused the collision or named the operators of either helicopter. The presence of a British student pilot among the dead has drawn attention from British media and is expected to figure in the identification and notification process as the investigation proceeds.