Sheriff Elliott says 1995 Robinson R22, 2018 Airbus collided near McMinnville

FAA says NTSB will take charge of investigation and provide updates

Sheriff Sam Elliott said at a news conference Thursday that the midair collision near McMinnville Municipal Airport in Oregon involved a 1995 Robinson R22 helicopter and a 2018 Airbus AS 350B3 helicopter, with two people aboard the Robinson and one aboard the Airbus. All three died, he said.

Elliott spoke after the Yamhill County sheriff’s office said it received reports at about 2:10 p.m. local time of an aircraft incident involving two helicopters that had crashed southeast of McMinnville, near the municipal airport. “We located two crashed helicopters in a private farm field,” Elliott said. “Unfortunately all three of those individuals are deceased.”

Elliott identified one of the victims aboard the Robinson as a student pilot from the United Kingdom and said local authorities were working with the British consulate and the FBI to notify the individual’s family. Elliott identified the Robinson’s second occupant as Maddie Aasbo, 22, a flight instructor from Texas, and the Airbus’s sole occupant as its pilot, Tyler Sturdevant, 38, of Newberg, Oregon.

Elliott said the crash site had since been turned over to the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board, which will investigate the collision. In a statement Thursday, the FAA confirmed that “a Robinson R22 helicopter and an Airbus H125 helicopter collided in mid-air near McMinnville Municipal Airport in Oregon around 2:15 pm local time on Thursday.” The agency said it and the NTSB would investigate, adding that the NTSB would take charge “of the investigation and will provide further updates.” The NTSB also confirmed it was investigating the collision. The cause of the collision has not been determined.

Jerry Trimble Helicopters, an aviation school in McMinnville, said in a statement shared on social media that it was “deeply saddened to confirm that one of our aircraft was involved in an aviation incident this afternoon” near the McMinnville municipal airport. “Our hearts and thoughts are with the individuals involved, their families and everyone affected by this event,” the school said. The company added that it was “fully cooperating” with local and federal authorities “to secure the site and determine the cause of the incident.”