'Then boom': Witness recounts terrifying moment two helicopters collide in deadly Oregon crash

MCMINNVILLE, OREGON: Rodriguez was working on the roof of a barn at his family’s Oregon vineyard when the sound of a helicopter caught his attention.

When he looked up, he witnessed two aircraft colliding and breaking apart in midair.

The crash near McMinnville Municipal Airport on Thursday, October 29, claimed the lives of all three people aboard.

Rodriguez's account captures the moment of impact and how quickly the tragedy unfolded.

Witness recounts moment of impact

Speaking to Fox12, Rodriguez said he had bent down to do some work when the collision unfolded.

“I heard the helicopter noise, I bent over to do something and then boom I looked up and everything was going down,” he recalled.

He said one of the helicopters appeared larger and remained largely intact after its tail was struck.

The aircraft then turned and spun towards the ground, while the second helicopter plunged almost vertically.

“There was a larger one intact still, the tail end of it was struck and then it turned and it propelled down and the other one dropped straight down and it just happened so fast,” Rodriguez said.

He also heard the sound of metal tearing through the air as the aircraft came down.

Emergency crews, including police officers, firefighters and medical responders, were dispatched to the crash site.

Authorities temporarily shut surrounding roads as they responded to the incident.

The wreckage of both helicopters was found in a private farm field. All three people aboard the aircraft died in the collision.

One of the helicopters was associated with Jerry Trimble Helicopters, an aviation school operating out of McMinnville Municipal Airport.

The school acknowledged the incident in a Facebook post, expressing its support for those involved and their families.

“Our hearts and thoughts are with the individuals involved, their families, and everyone affected by this event,” the school said, while asking the community for patience.

Investigators probe helicopter collision

Sheriff Sam Elliott released the identities of the victims during a press conference late Thursday.

Aboard the Robinson R22 were Maddie Aasbo, a 22-year-old flight instructor from Texas and a 31-year-old student pilot from the United Kingdom. Authorities have not yet publicly identified the student.

The second helicopter, an Airbus H125, was being flown by Tyler Sturdevant of Newberg, Oregon.

Media reports said Sturdevant had at least 20 years of flying experience and had served as a commissioned officer in the Navy. He reportedly held both private and commercial pilot licences.

The two aircraft serve different purposes.

The Robinson R22 is a compact, two-seat helicopter commonly used for flight training, while the single-engine Airbus H125 is used for utility operations and charter flights.

The National Transportation Safety Board is leading the investigation, with the Federal Aviation Administration also involved.

According to the agency, the Robinson was conducting an instructional flight, while the Airbus was on a maintenance-related mission.

Two NTSB investigators have travelled to the site to document the wreckage.

The agency's role is to establish what happened, not assign blame.

For now, investigators are working to establish how the two helicopters crossed paths in the air above the farm field.