3 dead after 2 helicopters collide midair near Oregon airport…

Three people were killed when two helicopters collided in midair near McMinnville Municipal Airport in Yamhill County, Oregon, on Thursday afternoon, KATU reports.

The Yamhill County Sheriff’s Office received the call at about 2:15 p.m. The helicopters crashed into a private field near Southeast Highway 154 and Stringtown Road, southeast of McMinnville.

Sheriff Sam Elliott said at a news briefing that a flight instructor from Texas and a student pilot from the United Kingdom were aboard one helicopter. A man from Newberg was flying the other.

A Federal Aviation Administration spokesperson identified the aircraft as a Robinson R22 and an Airbus H125. According to the FAA, only the pilot was aboard the R22, and two people were aboard the H125.

The Oregon Department of Transportation closed Highway 233 one mile west of Dayton because of the crash.

The story is developing, and further details have not been released.