MCMINNVILLE, Ore. (KATU) — Three people died when two helicopters collided in midair near McMinnville Municipal Airport on Thursday afternoon, according to Yamhill County Sheriff Sam Elliott.
New photos released by the sheriff’s office show the wreckage of both aircraft in a privately owned farm field about 40 miles southwest of Portland. One shows a helicopter belonging to Precision Helicopters, a charter company based in McMinnville. The other shows the smaller Robinson R22.
Elliott identified the people aboard the Robinson as 22-year-old flight instructor Maddie Aasbo, of Texas, and a 31-year-old student pilot from the United Kingdom.
The other helicopter, an Airbus AS350B3, was flown by 38-year-old Tyler Sturdevant, of Newberg. They were the only three people aboard the two aircraft.
Officials have not released the student pilot’s name, while the FBI and consulate work to notify family.
The sheriff’s identification of which people were aboard each helicopter differed from information the Federal Aviation Administration released earlier Thursday.
Flight tracking shows Precision helicopter’s route
FlightRadar24 tracking shows the Precision helicopter taking off from McMinnville Municipal Airport at about 1:50 p.m. Thursday.
The helicopter flew to Newberg, made a couple of loops over the city and headed back toward McMinnville. Its track ends less than a mile east of the airport, about 20 minutes after takeoff.
Elliott said dispatchers began receiving witness reports of the crash at about 2:10 p.m.
Emergency crews found both helicopters in a private farm field near Southeast Highway 154 and Stringtown Road, southeast of McMinnville.
Precision remembers “beloved pilot”
Precision Helicopters confirmed Sturdevant’s death in a statement.
“The team at Precision has confirmed that there was a mid-air collision involving one of our aircraft resulting in the fatal injury of our beloved pilot Tyler Sturdevant,” a company spokesperson said. “Please respect our privacy and that of the family. At this time the focus of our efforts is to attend to the needs of the individuals affected and their families, and to work with governing agencies and local officials to determine the cause of this incident.”
The cause of the collision remains unknown.
The Oregon Department of Transportation reported closing Highway 233 one mile west of Dayton because of the crash.
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