Helicopter crash in Oregon ends in tragedy with three people dead

McMinnville, Oregon - Three people lost their lives in a helicopter collision in Oregon on Thursday, including a flight student and instructor.

Debris from one of the helicopters is pictured after the midair collision near McMinnville, Oregon.
Debris from one of the helicopters is pictured after the midair collision near McMinnville, Oregon.  © Yamhill County Sheriff's Office

According to the Sheriff’s Office of Yamhill County, witnesses reported around 2:10 PM local time that two helicopters had collided southeast of the town of McMinnville.

On site, officials saw the full scale of the disaster: the wreckage of a training helicopter and a utility helicopter scattered across a field.

None of the occupants survived.

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In the training helicopter, a 1995 Robinson R22, police and rescue crews found 22‑year‑old flight instructor Maddie Aasbo of Texas, as well as her student from the United Kingdom, whose name has not been released.

Emergency crews identified the body in the other helicopter, an Airbus AS350B3 from 2018, as 38‑year‑old Tyler Delane Sturdevant from Newberg.

The occupants of the two helicopters died after the fatal crash.
The occupants of the two helicopters died after the fatal crash.  © Yamhill County Sheriff's Office

The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board are now investigating how the fatal collision occurred.

Cover photo: Collage: Yamhill County Sheriff's Office

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