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By Alex Backus
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Three people were killed when two helicopters collided midair and crashed into a farm field southwest of Portland, Oregon, Yamhill County Sheriff Sam Elliott said in a news conference Thursday night.
The two choppers crashed just after 2 p.m. local time Thursday near the McMinnville Municipal Airport.
All three people aboard the pair were killed. The victims were identified as 22-year-old Maddie Aasbo, a flight instructor from Texas; 38-year-old Tyler Sturdevant, a pilot from Oregon; and a student pilot from the United Kingdom whose name has not been released, Elliott said.
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Aasbo and the student pilot were aboard a 1995 Robinson R22 helicopter, while Sturdevant was the sole occupant of a 2018 Airbus AS350 B3, according to preliminary reports from the sheriff's office.
One of the aircraft came from aviation school Jerry Trimble Helicopters, based at the airport, which said it was “deeply saddened” by the news.
“Our hearts and thoughts are with the individuals involved, their families, and everyone affected by this event,” the school said in a statement posted to social media.
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The helicopters crashed into a privately owned farm field along Highway 233, near its intersection with SE Cruickshank Road southeast of McMinnville.
Photographs showed the green helicopter lying upside down in the field, while the red helicopter was heavily damaged.
“Yamhill County Sheriff's Office extends its condolences to the families and friends of Ms. Aasbo and Mr. Sturdevant,” the department said in a post to Facebook.
The scene has been turned over to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), while recovery efforts continued Thursday evening, Elliott said.
The Oregon Department of Transportation closed Highway 233 approximately one mile west of Dayton following the crash.
Newsweek reached out to the FAA for comment late Thursday night.
Jerry Trimble Helicopters offers aviation experiences for first-time flyers as well as advanced helicopter training. The school said it was cooperating with law enforcement, the FAA and NTSB to secure the crash site.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation.
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Newsweek’s reporters and editors used Martyn, our AI assistant, to produce this story. Learn more about Martyn here. Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Anna Commander and Edward T. Cummins
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