Three people were killed when a Robinson R22 and an Airbus AS350B3 collided in flight near McMinnville Municipal Airport in Oregon. The helicopters came down in a farm field southeast of McMinnville, southwest of Portland, and emergency crews responding at about 2:10 p.m. on October 29, 2026 found two people in the Robinson and one in the Airbus; all three had died, according to the Yamhill County Sheriff's Office.
The Robinson was on an instructional flight carrying a 22-year-old flight instructor from Texas and a 31-year-old student pilot from the United Kingdom. The Airbus pilot, aged 38, was alone on a post-maintenance check flight, according to NTSB Air Safety Investigator Grant Mills at an October 30 briefing. Witnesses placed the helicopters about 500 feet above ground when they collided, roughly a mile east of the airport.
The Robinson belonged to Jerry Trimble Helicopters, a flight school based at the airport, which expressed condolences to those involved, their families and everyone affected. The Airbus pilot flew for Precision, which described him as a senior pilot and mentor and said it was supporting the victims' families and cooperating with the investigation. The National Transportation Safety Board is leading the investigation, and a preliminary report is expected in about 30 days. McMinnville Municipal Airport has no control tower, so pilots use a shared radio frequency to announce their positions and intentions at the uncontrolled field.