An experienced pilot conducting a test run in one helicopter and a 22-year-old flight instructor accompanied by a student pilot from the United Kingdom in another were killed when their aircraft collided midair in Oregon and crashed into a farm field, authorities said.

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Details regarding the three victims continued to emerge on Friday as investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) arrived to inspect the wreckage from Thursday's crash, which took place during overcast weather conditions.

Photographs released by emergency personnel showed a red helicopter lying crumpled in an open field, while a second, green helicopter rested nearby upside down.

The midair collision occurred at approximately 2:00 p.m. Thursday roughly one mile east of the airport in McMinnville, according to NTSB air safety investigator Grant Mills. The municipality, located about an hour's drive southwest of Portland, sits in the flat expanse of the Willamette Valley near the foothills of the Coast Range, at the centre of Oregon's wine-producing region.

Leo Rodriguez was carrying out repairs on a barn roof at his family’s winery when the aircraft collided overhead.

“There was an explosion mid-air,” Rodriguez told local news station KPTV. “I bent over to do something and then, boom, and I look up and the planes were already going down.”

Rodriguez noted that the tail section of the larger helicopter was struck before the aircraft veered and descended toward the terrain, while the second helicopter plummeted straight down.

“It just happened so fast,” he added.

Initial findings regarding the circumstances of the collision remained limited. According to the NTSB, the smaller Robinson R22 helicopter was engaged in a training flight, whereas the larger Airbus AS350B3 helicopter was conducting a maintenance evaluation flight, typically carried out following mechanical repairs or servicing.

Yamhill County Sheriff Sam Elliott identified the victims during a press briefing as 38-year-old Tyler Sturdevant, a senior pilot from Oregon; 22-year-old Maddie Aasbo, a flight instructor from Texas; and 31-year-old Christopher Joughin, a student pilot hailing from the United Kingdom.

Aasbo graduated from the wildlife management program at Southwest Texas College in Uvalde, where she participated as a member of the institution's rodeo team between 2021 and 2023, according to a statement published on the group's Facebook page.

The organisation described her as a brave and independent individual who previously worked for expansive hunting ranches in Texas while spending time in New Mexico and Alaska. In Oregon, the group noted, she “had found ultimate freedom in the air as a helicopter pilot and instructor.”

“Her sudden passing has left us equally stunned and heartbroken,” the statement read. “It is beyond difficult to find the words worthy of a young woman of her calibre and impactfulness.”

The corporate owners of the two aircraft—Jerry Trimble Helicopters and Precision—both confirmed they are cooperating fully with federal investigators while extending support to the families of the deceased.

Precision, a charter and maintenance operator that also supports unmanned flight missions for the military, stated in an Instagram post that Sturdevant was their “beloved” senior aviator.

“Tyler has touched countless lives, not only through his love of flying, but through the many pilots he mentored, encouraged, and helped along the way,” Precision posted. “His legacy lives on in every pilot he helped bring up and every life he made a difference in.”

According to his professional profile, Sturdevant served as a designated pilot examiner for the Federal Aviation Administration over the past four years while maintaining his position at Precision for more than two decades.

In 2021, his wife, Monica Sturdevant, nominated him as a community hero on a local social media page, describing him as a devoted husband and father who frequently assisted in aerial firefighting operations during wildfire seasons.

She noted that he also volunteered as an Angel Flight pilot in his personal time to transport patients to critical medical appointments.

“He’s not doing it for recognition, or because he expects anything in return, but simply because of his compassion for people, and I couldn’t be more proud of him,” she stated.

The UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office stated it is liaising with local authorities in Oregon and providing consular assistance to Joughin's family.

The Jerry Trimble flight school provides specialised instruction ranging from introductory flights for beginners to advanced pilot training.

AP