Three people died after two helicopters collided midair in Yamhill County, northwest Oregon, on Thursday afternoon, October 29, 2026. The collision occurred near McMinnville Municipal Airport, causing both aircraft to crash into a private agricultural field.
Emergency dispatchers received multiple witness calls around 2:10 p.m. reporting that two aircraft had collided southeast of McMinnville. First responders arriving at the scene along Highway 233 confirmed there were no survivors.
The Yamhill County Sheriff’s Office identified the aircraft as a two-seat 1995 Robinson R22 helicopter and a larger 2018 Airbus AS350B3 helicopter.
Authorities Identify Victims of the Collision
Yamhill County Sheriff Sam Elliott confirmed that three people were aboard the two aircraft at the time of the collision.
The Robinson R22 carried 22-year-old flight instructor Maddie Aasbo, originally from Texas, and a student pilot from the United Kingdom. Officials withheld the student's name pending notification of family members abroad through British diplomatic channels.
The Airbus AS350B3 was operated by a single pilot, identified by sheriff's deputies as 38-year-old Tyler Delane Sturdevant of Newberg, Oregon.
Emergency Response and Road Closures
Deputies from the Yamhill County Sheriff’s Office, officers from the McMinnville Police Department, and Oregon State Police troopers responded immediately to secure the wreckage.
Both aircraft came down in open farmland near the intersection of Southeast Amity-Dayton Highway (Highway 233) and Cruickshank Road. The impact scattered debris across the field and forced local transportation authorities to close Highway 233 west of Dayton.
Emergency crews maintained security perimeters throughout Thursday evening to preserve physical evidence for arriving federal investigators.
Federal Investigators Begin Inquiries Into Cause
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has taken the lead in the investigation, supported by inspectors from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
Federal investigators will examine radar tracking data, air traffic communications, aircraft maintenance records, and prevailing weather conditions at the time of the crash. Wreckage will also be surveyed for mechanical failures and flight path intersections.
Officials noted that formal preliminary findings from the NTSB typically take several weeks, while a full determination of probable cause can take up to a year or more.
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