Third Victim Identified in McMinnville Helicopter Mid-Air Collision
Authorities have named the third fatality, 31-year-old student pilot Christopher James Joughin, following a mid-air collision of two helicopters near McMinnville, Oregon.
The Yamhill County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that the third person killed in Thursday’s helicopter collision near McMinnville was 31-year-old Christopher James Joughin, a student pilot from the United Kingdom. His identity was released after his family in Zimbabwe was notified.
The crash also claimed the lives of 22-year-old flight instructor Maddie Aasbo of Texas, who was aboard the same Robinson R22 helicopter as Joughin, and 38-year-old Tyler Delane Sturdevant of Newberg, the sole occupant of an Airbus AS350B3 conducting a post-maintenance check flight.
Witnesses said the two aircraft collided at about 500 feet altitude just after 2 p.m., then fell onto a farm field roughly one mile east of McMinnville Airport, near Oregon 233 and Southeast Cruickshank Road.
"We have not yet determined the cause of the collision," National Transportation Safety Board investigator Grant Mills said at a Friday evening news conference.
The Federal Aviation Administration and the NTSB are leading the investigation. Because McMinnville Airport lacks an air-traffic-control tower, pilots normally coordinate via a shared radio frequency. Investigators plan to interview witnesses and aircraft operators on Saturday and have asked anyone with information to contact [email protected].
A preliminary report is expected within 30 days, with a final report due in one to two years. Roads closed during the emergency response were reopened Friday night, according to the sheriff’s office.