A midair collision between a Robinson R22 and an Airbus AS350B3 near McMinnville Municipal Airport in Oregon killed all three people aboard the aircraft on 29 October. The helicopters crashed in a field southeast of McMinnville, near Highway 233 and SE Cruickshank Road. The Yamhill County Sheriff’s Office identified the R22 as a 1995 model and the AS350B3 as a 2018 aircraft.
Flight instructor Maddie Aasbo, 22, and a student pilot from the United Kingdom were aboard the Robinson. The student’s identity was being withheld pending notification of next of kin. Tyler Delane Sturdevant, 38, was the sole occupant of the Airbus.
The Robinson was on an instructional flight, while the AS350B3 was conducting a maintenance flight, according to reporting by Oregon Public Broadcasting citing the National Transportation Safety Board. The collision was reported at about 2:10 p.m. local time. The FAA and NTSB are investigating, and an NTSB team was expected to examine the wreckage on 30 October. No cause or circumstances of the collision had been established.