A midair collision between two helicopters near McMinnville Municipal Airport in Oregon killed all three people aboard, turning an afternoon flight near the small regional airfield into a federal aviation investigation.

Early reports focused on the emergency response, with dispatchers receiving an aircraft-emergency call shortly after 2pm and responders locating the wreckage in a private farm field near the airport. A witness told local television that the helicopters collided before falling outside the airport perimeter.¹

Later accounts identified the victims as 22-year-old Texas flight instructor Maddie Aasbo, 38-year-old Newberg, Oregon, pilot Tyler Delane Sturdevant, and a student pilot from the United Kingdom whose name has not been released. Aasbo and the British student were aboard one helicopter, while Sturdevant was alone in the other.²

The aircraft were identified as a Robinson R22 and an Airbus H125/AS350B3. Both crashed in a field beside a highway, prompting road closures and requests from authorities for the public to stay away from the area.

Accounts also agree that the cause remains unknown. The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board are leading the inquiry, while the sheriff’s office works with the British consulate and FBI to notify the student pilot’s relatives.²

Jerry Trimble Helicopters, the McMinnville-based training school that operated one of the aircraft, said it was “deeply saddened” by the incident and was cooperating with investigators.² The company also asked for privacy for those affected as recovery operations and the investigation continue.