Two helicopters collide midair near McMinnville, Oregon, killing all three aboard

The collision

Two helicopters collided midair on 29 October near McMinnville Municipal Airport in Oregon, roughly 56 kilometres southwest of Portland. According to the Yamhill County Sheriff's Office, witnesses called emergency services at about 2.10pm local time after seeing two aircraft come down near a highway southeast of McMinnville. Local and state police and medical crews reached the site, and the sheriff's office said all three occupants had died there. Emergency crews had been sent out at about 2.15pm, and recovery work was still under way that evening. Responders found one red helicopter broken into pieces and a green one lying upside down in a field beside the highway. The Oregon transport department closed a one-mile stretch of Highway 233 nearby, with no estimate for when it would reopen.

Victims and aircraft

Three people died. Two were in a Robinson R22, a two-seat helicopter, and one was alone in the Airbus. The Robinson carried a 22-year-old woman flight instructor from Texas and a British student pilot, whose identity had not been released pending notification of relatives. The Airbus carried a 38-year-old man from Oregon. The sheriff's office described the Robinson as a 1995 model and the Airbus as a 2018 AS350B3, while the FAA identified the second aircraft as an Airbus H125. One of the helicopters belonged to Jerry Trimble Helicopters, a flight training school at the airport that also rents aircraft for private flights.

Robinson R22 (two occupants)2

Airbus (one occupant)1

Robinson R22 (two occupants)

2 deaths

Airbus (one occupant)

1 deaths

Data from the article text

In a statement posted on social media, the school said it was cooperating with authorities to secure the site and determine the cause of the collision.

“Our hearts and thoughts are with the individuals involved, their families, and everyone affected by this event.”

Investigation

The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are leading the investigation. The NTSB described the Robinson as flying a training flight and the Airbus as flying a maintenance flight. The cause had not been determined by the sheriff's evening briefing. Federal investigators were at the scene on the evening of 29 October. The sheriff's office also asked the public to stay away from the area while emergency teams worked the incident.

“The scene has now been turned over to the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board.”

The airport

McMinnville, about 56 kilometres southwest of Portland, has around 34,000 residents. The small airport covers 650 acres (263 hectares) and has two paved runways. According to its website, it remained open on 29 October despite the crash. Part of the airport is bordered by homes, and it sits near the North American Aerospace Museum.