Two Oregon Men Die as Helicopter Crashes in Field

The helicopter was owned by Hillsboro Aviation and was used to train new pilots.

(HILLSBORO, Ore.) - A pilot and a student pilot were killed when their helicopter crashed and burst into flames Sunday at 1:09 p.m.

Sgt. Bob Ray with the Washington County Sheriff's Office, says deputies responded to the Fern Hill area south of Forest Grove after a report of the helicopter crashing in a field.

"Witnesses reported seeing the helicopter lose control in the air then crash to the ground. They told investigators they heard a loud explosion then saw flames and smoke from the area," Ray said.

Sheriff's deputies assisted by the Forest Grove and Cornelius Police Departments, responded to the crash.

Forest Grove Fire, Gaston Fire and Cornelius Fire also responded to the rural farming area in the community of Fern Hill where the aircraft went down.

Ray said, "The crash was about one mile from any paved road making it difficult for rescue personnel to reach the site. This was in a field in an isolated area that had to be accessed by driving through crops and around irrigation ditches."

Ray says the site was reach at about 1:29 p.m. and crews found the wreckage fully engulfed in flames.

The fire was extinguished by emergency personnel. There were two people pronounced dead at the scene.

Ray says the helicopter was owned by Hillsboro Aviation and was used to train new pilots. There was a flight instructor and student aboard the two person helicopter when it crashed.

The flight instructor was identified as 34-year old Douglas Doty of Beaverton. The flight student was identified as 32-year old Thomas Hagner of Hillsboro.

Ray says it is unknown who had control of the helicopter prior to the crash. The FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) responded and is conducting an investigation of the cause of the crash.