Yamhill County Sheriff Office
Three people died when two helicopters collided in mid-air near McMinnville Municipal Airport (MMV) in Oregon at around 14:15 local time on 29 October 2026, according to local authorities.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) identified the aircraft as a Robinson R22 (reg. N501HL) conducting an instructional flight and an Airbus H125/AS350B3 (reg. N704RH) on a maintenance flight. Both crashed into a private farm field near the airport, approximately 64 kilometres southwest of Portland.
Yamhill County Sheriff Sam Elliott identified two victims as flight instructor Maddie Aasbo, 22, and pilot Tyler Sturdevant, 38. A British student pilot, whose name was not released, also died. Aasbo and the student were aboard one helicopter, while Sturdevant was alone in the other.
Jerry Trimble Helicopters confirmed that one of its aircraft was involved and said it was cooperating with investigators. The NTSB is leading the investigation, with the Federal Aviation Administration also participating. The circumstances of the collision remain under investigation.
Source: CNN report.