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FAA and NTSB Investigate Oregon Midair Helicopter Collision

By Drooid · Oct 30, 2026 · How we work

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Summary

Two helicopters collided midair near McMinnville Municipal Airport, killing three people.
The collision occurred at about 2:15 p.m. local time on Oct. 29, 2026, southeast of McMinnville, Oregon.
A 1995 Robinson R22 carried flight instructor Maddie Aasbo, 22, of Texas, and a British student pilot.
A 2018 Airbus AS350 B3 carried pilot Tyler Delane Sturdevant, 38, of Newberg, Oregon, as sole occupant.
The FAA and NTSB are leading the investigation.

Summary

Airport manager John Paskell said operations continued uninterrupted despite the midair collision.
McMinnville Municipal Airport spans 650 acres and has two paved runways, per its website.
Oregon Department of Transportation (DOT) spokesperson Mindy McCartt reported Highway 233 and county roads closed with no reopening estimate.
Authorities urged residents to stay away from the crash site while crews worked.
Mindy McCartt said the crash site lay roughly one mile west of Dayton.

History

On September 25 1978 a Pacific Southwest Airlines Boeing 727 collided with a Cessna 172 over San Diego, killing 135 people. The FAA then mandated radar-based separation and Class B airspace, and the NTSB issued safety recommendations that spurred nationwide global traffic-collision-avoidance systems. Today’s McMinnville crash invokes those same ongoing oversight reforms in modern aviation safety.

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On September 25 1978 a Pacific Southwest Airlines Boeing 727 collided with a Cessna 172 over San Diego, killing 135 people. The FAA then mandated radar-based separation and Class B airspace, and the NTSB issued safety recommendations that spurred nationwide global traffic-collision-avoidance systems. Today’s McMinnville crash invokes those same ongoing oversight reforms in modern aviation safety.

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