Three people were killed on Thursday 29 October 2026 when two helicopters collided in midair near McMinnville Municipal Airport in Oregon, in the north-west of the United States. The US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) identified the aircraft as an Airbus Helicopters AS350B2 and a Robinson R221. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) put the time of the collision at about 14:15 local time2. The Yamhill County Sheriff's Office said it occurred at approximately 14:10 and described the aircraft as a 1995 Robinson R22 and a 2018 Airbus AS350B33.

Who was on board

Yamhill County Sheriff Sam Elliott said the Robinson R22 carried a 22-year-old flight instructor from Texas, Maddie Aasbo, and a 31-year-old student pilot from the United Kingdom4. The student's name has not been released while the FBI and the consulate are working to notify the family4. The pilot of the Airbus, 38-year-old Tyler Delane Sturdevant of Newberg, Oregon, was its sole occupant3. Earlier on Thursday the FAA had said there was one person on board the Robinson and two on board the Airbus; the sheriff's account of who was in each helicopter differed from that information43.

According to the NTSB, the Robinson R22 was on an instructional flight and the Airbus AS350 was on a maintenance flight5. Jerry Trimble Helicopters, a helicopter flight training school based at McMinnville Municipal Airport, said one of its aircraft was involved2. "Our hearts and thoughts are with the individuals involved, their families, and everyone affected by this event," the company said, adding that it is cooperating with the authorities in the investigation5. Precision Helicopters, a charter company based in McMinnville, confirmed that its pilot Tyler Sturdevant had died4. "The team at Precision has confirmed that there was a mid-air collision involving one of our aircraft resulting in the fatal injury of our beloved pilot Tyler Sturdevant," a company spokesperson said4.

Crash site and airport

Emergency crews found both helicopters in a privately owned farm field near Southeast Highway 154 and Stringtown Road, south-east of McMinnville4. The Oregon Department of Transportation said the field lies off Oregon Route 233, about one mile west of Dayton, and closed Route 233 at the request of emergency responders6. The airport manager said the collision occurred off airport property and did not disrupt operations; he understood that both helicopters were based at the airport but could not confirm what activities they were conducting6.

McMinnville Municipal Airport (FAA identifier MMV) has no air traffic control tower. Pilots use a common traffic advisory frequency (CTAF) on 123.0 MHz, and the FAA airport data include a remark on frequent fixed-wing and rotary-wing training on and in the vicinity of the airport7.

The investigation

The NTSB is leading the investigation, with the FAA also involved25. Federal investigators were at the scene on Thursday night, the sheriff said5. The cause of the collision has not been determined6.

For general aviation accidents, the NTSB says its preliminary report, a synopsis of the factual information gathered during the on-scene phase, is typically available within two weeks. The final report, with the analysis, findings and probable cause, is released at the end of the investigation; a general aviation accident investigation often requires 12 to 24 months to complete8.

Collision avoidance around non-towered airports

The guidance below is general and not specific to the McMinnville collision, whose cause has not been determined6. US regulations require every pilot, when weather conditions permit and whether flying under instrument or visual flight rules, to maintain vigilance "so as to see and avoid other aircraft"9. In its advisory circular on collision avoidance, the FAA notes that a significant number of midair collisions and near midair collisions have occurred within towered and non-towered airport traffic patterns10. The same circular describes the "blossom effect": two aircraft on a collision course appear virtually motionless to each other for a relatively long time before one suddenly fills the window10. In a section on air tour operations, it cites NTSB studies of several recent midair collisions; those studies concluded that an ADS-B traffic advisory system, had one been installed, would have given significant advance warning. The circular states: "Consider that see-and-avoid together with ADS-B are lifesavers"10.

At airports without an operating control tower, the FAA's guidance on non-towered operations describes self-announcing: pilots broadcast their call sign, position, altitude and intended flight activity on the designated CTAF11. For rotorcraft, the same guidance says helicopters landing on the runway may fly a pattern similar to the fixed-wing traffic pattern but at a lower altitude, 500 ft above ground level, and closer to the runway. Helicopters that do not land on the runway should avoid the flow of fixed-wing traffic11.