Helicopters collide near McMinnville, killing three and closing highway

Two helicopters collided near McMinnville Airport in Oregon on Thursday, killing all three people aboard and forcing part of Highway 233 to close, according to ABC7 Los Angeles.

The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the collision, whose cause was not reported. Recovery efforts continued Thursday evening, with no estimate reported for when the highway would reopen.

A Robinson R22 and an Airbus H125 crashed into a farm field after colliding a few miles east of the airport, ABC7 Los Angeles reported. Emergency crews responded around 2:15 p.m. Thursday.

Those killed were Tyler Sturdevant, 38, an Oregon pilot; Maddie Aasbo, 22, a flight instructor from Texas; and a student pilot from the United Kingdom whose name was not released in the report.

Aasbo and the student pilot were in the same helicopter. Sturdevant was aboard the other aircraft, according to ABC7 Los Angeles.

One of the aircraft came from Jerry Trimble Helicopters, a flight school based at McMinnville Airport. The school said it was working with authorities to secure the crash site and establish what caused the collision.

Highway 233 was shut down one mile west of Dayton. McMinnville is about 35 miles southwest of Portland.

Despite the crash and nearby road closures, McMinnville Airport remained open Thursday, according to its website, ABC7 Los Angeles reported.