Three Die In Oregon Helicopter Collision

Three people died Thursday when two helicopters collided in mid-air near McMinnville Airport in Oregon.

Emergency crews reached a farm field several miles east of the airfield at about 2:15 p.m. local time. Recovery work was still underway by Thursday evening, the Yamhill County Sheriff's Office said. Highway 233 remains closed one mile west of Dayton, the Oregon Department of Transportation said. The agency has not given a reopening date. Surrounding roads are also cordoned off, and the sheriff's office asked the public to stay away.

The two aircraft came down together in the field. Yamhill County Sheriff Sam Elliott identified two of the victims at a press conference: Tyler Sturdevant, 38, a pilot from Oregon, and Maddie Aasbo, 22, a flight instructor from Texas. The third victim, a student pilot from the United Kingdom, has not been named. The sheriff's office said Aasbo and the British student were in one helicopter and Sturdevant was in the other.

Images released by the sheriff's department show a green helicopter lying upturned in the field and a red helicopter badly damaged and scattered across the ground. The Federal Aviation Administration said the collision involved a Robinson R22, a two-seat aircraft, and an Airbus H125, which seats up to six passengers depending on configuration. One of the helicopters belonged to Jerry Trimble Helicopters, a flight school based at McMinnville Airport. The school said in a social media statement that it is working with authorities to secure the scene and determine the cause.

McMinnville Airport sits about 35 miles southwest of Portland. The field covers 650 acres, has two paved runways, and remained open Thursday, according to its website. The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board have opened investigations. Aasbo joined Jerry Trimble Helicopters after earning her private pilot certificate, the school said in a post last year.

Investigators from both agencies are examining the wreckage. Highway 233 stays closed until the inquiry allows it to reopen.