Two Helicopters Collide Midair Near Mcminnville Oregon Killing Three Including a Flight Instructor and Student During Cloudy Training Flights

MCMINNVILLE, OR — Two helicopters collided in midair near McMinnville and crashed into a farm field Thursday afternoon, killing all three people aboard and sending investigators to the scene to determine what went wrong.

Authorities said the aircraft went down about a mile east of the airport during cloudy conditions. One helicopter was on a maintenance flight, while the other was on an instructional flight with a flight instructor and a student pilot from the United Kingdom aboard.

Witnesses described hearing an explosion before the aircraft dropped from the sky. Photos released by authorities showed one helicopter crumpled in the field and the other upside down nearby.

NTSB investigators arrive as wreckage is examined outside the airport

A team from the National Transportation Safety Board reached the crash site Friday to begin examining the wreckage from the previous day’s collision. Air safety investigator Grant Mills said the crash happened around 2 p.m. Thursday in McMinnville, a town in Oregon’s wine country about an hour southwest of Portland.

The wreckage was found close to the airport, and the location in the broad Willamette Valley gave investigators a clear open area to assess the impact. Officials have not publicly said what led to the helicopters meeting in midair or whether visibility played a role beyond the cloudy weather described at the scene.

The NTSB said the smaller Robinson R22 was being used for instruction. The larger Airbus AS350B3 was on a maintenance flight, a type of run generally completed after repair work or servicing.

Witness describes a sudden explosion and two helicopters dropping fast

Leo Rodriguez, who was working on a barn roof at his family’s winery nearby, told KPTV that he saw the collision unfold in seconds. He said the larger helicopter’s tail end was struck first, after which it turned and headed toward the ground.

Rodriguez said the other aircraft fell straight down. He described the crash as happening so quickly that there was little time to understand what he was seeing before both helicopters were already descending.

His account matched the chaotic scene captured in the aftermath, with one aircraft lying mangled in the field and the other overturned. The testimony adds a human view to an accident investigators are still piecing together from debris, conditions and flight activity.

Authorities identify the three people who died in the crash

Yamhill County Sheriff Sam Elliott identified the victims as Tyler Sturdevant, 38, of Oregon; Maddie Aasbo, 22, a flight instructor from Texas; and Christopher Joughin, 31, a student pilot from the United Kingdom.

Sturdevant was described by his employer as a senior pilot with deep experience. Precision, a helicopter charter and maintenance company, said he had been with the company for more than 20 years and also worked as a pilot examiner for the Federal Aviation Administration for the past four years.

Aasbo’s family and former school in Texas said she had studied wildlife management at Southwest Texas College in Uvalde and had been part of its rodeo team. The college community remembered her as a pilot who found freedom in the air.

Companies and families share grief while pledging to help investigators

Both helicopter operators, Jerry Trimble Helicopters and Precision, said they are cooperating with investigators and trying to support the victims’ families. Precision described Sturdevant as a beloved pilot who mentored many other aviators.

The company also recalled his work outside the cockpit, including time spent helping fight forest fires and volunteering for Angel Flight missions that transport patients to medical appointments. His wife had previously described him as a devoted husband and father whose help was driven by compassion rather than recognition.

Jerry Trimble Helicopters said its school offers training ranging from demo flights for first-time flyers to advanced instruction. The company did not immediately provide additional details about the aircraft or the flight plan.

International connections deepen the impact of the Oregon crash

The collision drew attention beyond Oregon because one of the victims was a student pilot from the United Kingdom. The U.K.’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office said it was in contact with local authorities and supporting Joughin’s family.

The deaths also affected aviation communities in Texas and Oregon, where Aasbo and Sturdevant had built careers around flight instruction and helicopter operations. Their backgrounds show how training flights can connect people across states and countries, even in a routine-looking day near a small airport.

For now, investigators are focused on reconstructing the final moments before the impact. The NTSB is expected to use the wreckage, weather conditions and witness statements to determine how two helicopters came together above a farm field.