Three Killed in Midair Collision of Two Helicopters Near McMinnville, Oregon
Two helicopters collided near McMinnville, Oregon, killing all three occupants, including a flight instructor, a student pilot and a solo flyer; investigators from the FAA and NTSB are on scene.
Two helicopters collided in midair near the intersection of Highway 233 and SE Cruickshank Road in Yamhill County, Oregon, on Thursday afternoon, killing all three people on board. The Yamhill County Sheriff’s Office identified the victims as 22-year-old flight instructor Maddie Aasbo of Texas, an unnamed student pilot from the United Kingdom, and 38-year-old Tyler Delane Sturdevant of Newberg, who was the sole occupant of the second aircraft.
Witnesses said the Robinson R22 carrying Aasbo and the student pilot and the Airbus AS350B3 flown by Sturdevant struck each other and fell to the ground shortly after 2 p.m. The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board responded to the crash site and are leading the investigation. No public comments have been made regarding the cause of the collision.