‘Miss her on the radio’: Community mourns flight instructor killed in McMinnville helicopter collision

MCMINNVILLE Ore. (KPTV) - Family, friends and the local aviation community are mourning the loss of three people killed in a midair collision between two helicopters near McMinnville on Thursday afternoon.

The crash occurred around 2 p.m. when a 1995 Robinson R22 helicopter and a 2018 Airbus AS350B3 collided and crashed into a farm field along Highway 233 near Southeast Cruickshank Road, according to the Yamhill County Sheriff’s Office. Authorities said there were no survivors.

Tyler Sturdevant, 38, a pilot with Precision LLC, was flying solo in the Airbus, according to the sheriff’s office. The second aircraft belonged to Jerry Trimble Helicopters flight school and was carrying flight instructor Maddie Aasbo, 22.

On Friday evening, the sheriff’s office identified the third victim as 31-year-old Christopher James Joughin. Joughin was a student pilot from the United Kingdom, and his family lives in Zimbabwe. The sheriff’s office said they were able to track down his next of kin with help from the FBI as well as UK and Zimbabwean officials.

Austin McClister, a new student at the flight school, got to know Aasbo while practicing flight patterns. Though she was not his primary instructor, the two quickly formed a friendship, with Aasbo frequently radioing words of encouragement to his headset.

“It was always fun with her. She made people feel happy and welcome, and you could always hear how happy she was over the radio,” McClister said. “There are frustrating days, and then hearing Maddie over the radio made me feel better when I was struggling with landing.”

Aasbo stood out in McMinnville for her Texas charm and confident demeanor. Friends from her hometown told local reporters she was also an accomplished rodeo competitor.

“She was in a big old pickup truck with her boots on and a big belt buckle. I always thought she was from eastern Oregon when I first met her,” McClister said.

McClister added that Aasbo was remarkably accomplished for her age and that her loss is being felt across the aviation community.

“She was relatively new to everything, but she brought with her an attitude that was particularly impressive,” he said. “I will miss hearing her on the radio.”

The National Transportation Safety Board is leading the investigation into the cause of the collision, and said on Friday that will involve looking into the condition and upkeep of the helicopters, the actions of the people involved and the conditions at the time of the crash.

The McMinnville airport traffic control does not have a tower, an NTSB official said, and so they rely on pilots to self-report where their aircraft is to a shared radio channel.

Anyone who may have seen the crash or have other relevant information is asked to email the NTSB at witness@ntsb.gov.

Also on Friday, officials said the highways closed around the crash would likely open in a few hours.