We close out this week with the following stories...
Be extra safe out there this weekend, lots of kids (young and old) on the streets for Halloween, and take it easy on boosting candy from the kids!
Tom
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3 killed as helicopters collide midair near McMinnville, Oregon
By Carlos Robles
Three people have been killed after two helicopters collided midair near McMinnville Municipal Airport in Oregon, according to authorities. The victims included a flight instructor, a student pilot from the United Kingdom and the pilot of the second helicopter. 
Witnesses reported the crash at about 2:10 p.m. Thursday near the intersection of Southeast Amity-Dayton Highway, also known as Highway 233, and Southeast Cruickshank Road, southeast of McMinnville, according to the Yamhill County Sheriff’s Office. The area is southwest of Portland.
Responders found a 1995 Robinson R22 and a 2018 Airbus AS350B3 in a field beside the highway. Two occupants were aboard the Robinson and one was aboard the Airbus. All three were pronounced dead.
The Robinson’s occupants were identified as flight instructor Maddie Aasbo, 22, of Texas, and a student pilot from the United Kingdom. The student’s name is being withheld pending notification of next of kin.
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The sole occupant of the Airbus was identified as Tyler Delane Sturdevant, 38, of Newberg, Oregon.
Photos released by the sheriff’s office showed the mangled wreckage of both helicopters in a field. Witness images posted on social media showed smoke rising from the scene shortly after the crash.
The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will investigate the collision, with the NTSB leading the investigation. The cause was not immediately known.
3 killed as helicopters collide midair near McMinnville, Oregon
‘Mayday’ and a miracle: Pilot safely lands on highway during engine failure
Katharhynn Heidelberg | katharhynnh@montrosepress.com
A longtime flight instructor and his student are safe after their Cessna experienced “critical engine failure” Thursday morning.
Flight instructor Bill Swartz of Olathe, 80, maneuvered the failing craft to land it on U.S. 50, just north of Montrose near Menoken hill, then taxied onto the frontage road near 6075 Road. 
Swartz later Thursday recounted how he and his student Trace Bibber were completing the training session and headed back toward Montrose Regional Airport. As their Cessna 172 was just west of Menoken Hill, the engine started behaving strangely.
“We weren’t very high. I just couldn’t get it to continue running, then all of a sudden, it just quit. The only option we had was the highway. I put it down on the highway and was able to coast off onto a side road,” Swartz said.
He and Bibber were unhurt. The plane sustained minor damage.
The trouble started shortly before 8:30 a.m, when WestCO dispatch received a report of a pilot who had aired a “mayday, mayday, mayday,” Montrose County Undersheriff Ty Cox said. “At that point, we didn’t have anything other than that, other than that it was north of the airport.”
Deputies raced in that direction. Within moments, they received an update: the plane had landed on U.S. 50 at about mile marker 87. “Upon arrival, that’s when we discovered it had actually landed on the highway and then it ended up taxiing off the highway and onto the frontage road,” said Cox.
Cox said the plane apparently experienced a mechanical issue that he later described as “critical engine failure.” He said Swartz banked around and made the emergency landing. Once it landed, the plane had enough momentum to travel onto the frontage road.
“Obviously, it could have been a lot worse; a lot different outcome, and we’re extremely fortunate that no one was injured, obviously,” Cox said. “Mr. Swartz deserves a great deal of credit for remaining calm and safely landing the aircraft. Obviously, landing on a busy highway is no small task and he did an outstanding job with that. … There are power lines that cross the highway there. He was able to avoid those power lines and safely put it down on the highway.”
Swartz has been flying since 1968 and instructing since 1974. He was a helicopter pilot in the Army, and a standardization instructor pilot for the Super King Air and King Air utility craft. Swartz was also a Federal Aviation Administration flight examiner, as well as a chief flight instructor for several schools. His full resume also shows that he helped establish Mountain Blade Runners Helicopters, and flew for commercial airlines, or otherwise served them. Swartz has further worked as a contract pilot. He now operates Bill Swartz Flight Instruction.
Once on the ground Thursday morning, Swartz and Bibber were greeted first by a man on a nearby service road, who checked on them and also called 911.
Swartz identified the Good Samaritan as Ty Gaylord. “He was absolutely wonderful. He is the one that stopped by the airplane to see if we were OK. Everybody else kept driving by. How often do you see an airplane sitting next to the highway? I was very surprised at that,” Swartz said.
He soon had quite the welcoming committee as deputies, the Colorado State Patrol, Olathe Fire Protection District and Montrose Fire Protection District all responded.
“It was quite an experience," Swartz said.
The National Transportation Safety Board will be investigating the incident. Swartz said that Western Skyways looked at the plane and suspects the mixture-control had broken, halting the engine.
Pilot makes emergency landing in Slaughter field after electrical issues
by: Trinity Velazquez
BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First) — A pilot made an emergency landing in an open field in Slaughter on Thursday, Oct. 29, after experiencing electrical issues with an airplane. 
East Feliciana Parish Sheriff’s Office deputies were sent to the 1300 block of Highway 19 at 10:29 a.m. after receiving reports of a plane crash.
When deputies and Slaughter Police Department officers arrived, they learned the plane had not crashed.
The pilot told authorities that electrical issues forced the emergency landing in an open field. No injuries were reported, EFPSO said.
The Federal Aviation Administration was notified. The scene was turned over to the Slaughter Police Department.
https://www.louisianafirstnews.com/news/local-news/east-feliciana-parish/pilot-emergency-landing-slaughter/
NTSB Prelim: Haberman Habercraft
The Pilot Reported That About 1 Hour And 15 Minutes Had Elapsed Since Departure When The Airplane Was On The Left Downwind
Location: Pelican Rapids, MN Accident Number: CEN26LA327
Date & Time: September 27, 2026, 17:20 Local Registration: N10516
Aircraft: Haberman Habercraft Injuries: 1 Minor
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General aviation - Personal
On September 27, 2026, about 1720 central daylight time, a Haberman Habercraft airplane, N10516, was substantially damaged during an accident near Pelican Rapids, Minnesota. The pilot sustained a minor injury. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.
The pilot reported that before the flight the 12-gallon fuselage fuel tank contained about 8.5 gallons of fuel and that the cork-and-wire fuel indicator gauge installed in the fuel tank cap was about 5.5 inches above an empty indication. The pilot noted that the airplane’s Continental C85 engine consumed 4.5 to 5 gallons per hour at a cruise power setting.
The pilot reported that at 1602 the local flight departed Pelican Rapids Municipal Airport (47Y), Pelican Rapids, Minnesota. The pilot flew a meandering route over the lakes in the Pelican Rapids area, then over Highway 34 west to Barnesville, Minnesota, then to the south before turning back toward 47Y.
The pilot reported that about 1 hour and 15 minutes had elapsed since departure when the airplane was on the left downwind for runway 33 at 47Y. The pilot acknowledged that the flight was 10 to 15 minutes longer than he had planned for, but the cork-and-wire fuel indicator gauge was about an inch above the empty indication. The pilot considered flying a circle-to-short final because there were no other aircraft in the traffic pattern; however, ultimately, he decided to fly a normal traffic pattern to runway 33.
The pilot reported he reduced engine throttle and the airplane entered a descent during the turn from downwind to base leg. The airplane’s altitude and airspeed were reportedly lower-than-normal after the turn to base leg. The pilot increased the engine throttle but there was no response from the engine. The pilot reported that the engine continued to operate at a near idle power setting and at no point sputtered or quit. The airplane continued to descend rapidly toward trees. The pilot does not recall the final sequence of events that led to the impact with terrain. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the forward fuselage during the nose-low impact into a soybean field.
FMI: www.ntsb.gov
Today in History
51 Years ago today: On 30 October 1975 Inex-Adria flight 450, a DC-9-30, impacted terrain while on on approach to Prague-Ruzyne Airport, Czech Republic, killing 75 occupants; 45 survived the accident.
| Date: | Thursday 30 October 1975 |
| Time: | 09:20 |
| Type: | McDonnell Douglas DC-9-32 |
| Owner/operator: | Inex-Adria Aviopromet |
| Registration: | YU-AJO |
| MSN: | 47457/620 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1971 |
| Engine model: | P&W JT8D-9 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 75 / Occupants: 120 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed, written off |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | 8 km NE of Praha-Ruzyne International Airport (PRG) - Czechia |
| Phase: | Approach |
| Nature: | Passenger - Non-Scheduled/charter/Air Taxi |
| Departure airport: | Tivat Airport (TIV/LYTV) |
| Destination airport: | Praha-Ruzyne International Airport (PRG/LKPR) |
| Confidence Rating: | Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources |
Narrative:
Inex-Adria flight 450, a DC-9-30, impacted terrain while on on approach to Prague-Ruzyne Airport, Czech Republic, killing 75 occupants; 45 survived the accident.
Weather at Prague was poor. Fog at Ruzyne Airport reduced the visibility to 1500 m. The Inex Adria charter flight from Tivat (TIV) had been cleared for a runway 24 approach. After completing a right inbound turn, the crew descended below MDA and below airport level. The DC-9 entered a gorge over the River Vltava with high ground ahead and on the sides. The pilot selected full power to climb over the high ground. The airplane struck trees and a building and crashed at an elevation 300 ft below runway level.
Reportedly ILS and PAR approached were not available at the time of the accident.
