Three killed as two helicopters collide in mid-air near McMinnville airport in Oregon

Three people were killed when two helicopters collided in mid-air near McMinnville Airport in the US state of Oregon and plunged to the ground at high speed, according to local officials.

The dead include a trainee pilot and two experienced pilots, who died at the spot. The impact was so violent that parts of both helicopters were scattered far through the air and the machines were reduced to wreckage after hitting the ground. The incident has shaken the area and the aviation sector.

The crash took place at about 2 pm local time, near McMinnville Municipal Airport, about 40 miles south-west of Portland. Eyewitnesses said there was a sudden loud noise and both helicopters fell like leaves. Local administration officials, police and emergency teams reached the spot soon after. As a precaution, Highway 233 near the site and surrounding roads were closed to traffic immediately.

Yamhill County Sheriff Sam Elliott gave details of the dead while speaking to the media. According to him, those killed included Tyler Sturdivant, a Texas-based flight engineer and pilot linked to Asbo in Oregon. A young trainee pilot who had come from Britain for training also lost her life. The British woman trainee pilot, Maddy Asbo, was flying in a helicopter with a British instructor pilot, while Tyler Sturdivant was in the other helicopter.

An inspection of the site showed that the red helicopter had been completely destroyed and broken up, while the green helicopter lay upside down. One of the helicopters is reported to have belonged to Jerry Trimble Helicopters. The company expressed deep grief over the accident and condolences to the families of the dead. It also said it would cooperate fully with the NTSB and FAA investigations.

Local residents who witnessed the crash said they were working with their families in a field and a vineyard. Suddenly there were loud noises in the air, one after another. Looking up, they saw two helicopters that had collided. Within seconds both went out of control and fell to the ground. For some time afterwards the area was filled with thick smoke and fear.

The exact cause of the crash has not yet emerged. The US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) have both begun a detailed investigation. Initial estimates suggest one of the helicopters may be a Robinson R-22, mostly used for flight training. The other is likely to be an Airbus AS350. Investigators are trying to establish where the lapse occurred in the air, whether there was a fault in the radar system, or whether the collision was caused by human error.