A Texas flight instructor known for her passion for rodeo and an Oregon pilot who had worked for the Federal Aviation Administration were killed when two helicopters collided in mid-air over Oregon on Thursday afternoon.

Maddie Aasbo, 22, of Texas, and Tyler Sturdevant, 38, of Oregon, died at the scene after the 1995 Robinson R22 helicopter Aasbo was using to teach a flight student collided with a 2018 Airbus AS350 B3 helicopter piloted by Sturdevant shortly before 2.15pm.

The unidentified flight student from the UK who was being taught by Aasbo was also killed.

The helicopters crashed into a privately owned farm field near McMinnville Municipal Airport, at the intersection of Southeast Highway 154 and Stringtown Road.

A witness told Fox 12 that he was standing on the roof of a nearby barn when he watched the helicopters collide before crashing just beyond the airport perimeter. He said he immediately called 911.

Images from the crash site showed a red helicopter shattered across the center of the field, while a smaller white helicopter lay mangled nearby.

‘Yamhill County Sheriff’s Office extends its condolences to the families and friends of Ms Aasbo and Mr Sturdevant,’ the sheriff’s department said in a statement.

According to his LinkedIn page, Sturdevant had worked as a designated pilot examiner for the FAA.

‘I have been in the Aviation Industry for 13 years with experience in a range of operations, including but not limited to Helicopter Firefighting, Media Production, Yacht Support, Airplane Charter, Advance Training and Aircraft Management,’ his profile says.

Aasbo worked for Jerry Trimble Helicopters. In an August 2025 Instagram post, the company described her as a ‘brand new private pilot going into instrument training’ and said she was ‘on to great things.’

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Photos shared on social media also showed Aasbo’s skills as a rodeo competitor.

Following the fatal helicopter collision, McMinnville-based Jerry Trimble Helicopters confirmed that one of its aircraft had been involved.

‘Our hearts and thoughts are with the individuals involved, their families and everyone affected by this event,’ the company said.

‘We are immensely grateful for the rapid response and dedication of local emergency services and first responders.’

The company said it was ‘fully cooperating with local emergency management, law enforcement, the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board to secure the site and determine the cause of the incident.’

‘We ask for the public’s patience and respect for privacy of those involved as we work alongside investigating authorities to gather verified information.’

Following the crash, the Oregon Department of Transportation warned motorists that all lanes of Route 223 were closed one mile west of Dayton.

‘This could be an extended closure,’ it posted. ‘Use an alternate route.’ 

A source at the McMinnville Fire District told the Daily Mail that all of its crews had rushed to the scene.

The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board are now investigating the crash. 

Candice Swanepoel and Tom Brady appear to be embarking on a new romance, with the pair potentially sharing more than just a home base in Miami.

Earlier this month, reports emerged that the 38-year-old Victoria’s Secret model had been seeing the 49-year-old retired NFL star for “some time.”

People reported that Swanepoel and Brady are taking a highly discreet approach to their developing relationship as they try to keep it out of the spotlight.

“They’ve been dating for a while now,” a source told the outlet. “They both live in Miami, so it’s very convenient. They’re spending a lot of time together.”

A second source claimed that the couple have been together for several months, adding that Swanepoel has been “very secretive and selective” about whom she has told.

The two are also said to have connected through parenthood. Swanepoel shares sons Anacan, 10, and Ariel, eight, with her former partner Hermann Nicoli.

Brady is a father to Benjamin, 16, and Vivian, 13, whom he shares with ex-wife Gisele Bundchen, as well as 19-year-old son Jack, whom he shares with ex Bridget Moynahan.

Their similarities may extend to their approach to beauty and cosmetic treatments, too.

Dr Melinda Lacerna Kimbrell, a double board-certified plastic surgeon and owner of LA Plastic Surgery, spoke to the Daily Mail about the appearances of both stars.

Beginning with Swanepoel, the specialist said the model’s face appears to have been intentionally shaped by removing volume in some areas while adding it elsewhere.

Dr Kimbrell, who has performed more than 1,000 facelifts, highlighted what she described as “sharply localized hollowing” beneath Swanepoel’s cheekbones—an appearance she said does not resemble typical aging.

“Normal aging usually causes a more gradual and diffuse loss and redistribution of facial volume,” she explained.

“To my eye, it appears more consistent with surgical excision of the buccal fat pads than with ordinary aging or weight loss,” said Dr Kimbrell, who has not treated either Swanepoel or Brady.

The doctor also suggested that Swanepoel may have received filler in her lateral cheeks, chin and lips.

“That combination creates stronger highlights and shadows and produces the sharply contoured appearance people are noticing,” she said, describing a result that makes the face look longer, leaner and more angular.

Dr Kimbrell further noted that Swanepoel’s outer brows and the corners of her eyes appear “noticeably more elevated and elongated than they did earlier in her career.”

“That looks more consistent with a lateral brow lift combined with a lateral fox-eye procedure than with Botox alone.

“A lateral brow lift changes the position of the brow, while a fox-eye procedure changes the orientation of the outer eye.

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‘When the two are combined, the upper face can appear more elongated, feline and dramatically lifted,’ she explained.

Last but not least, Dr Kimbrell, who based her analysis off of images of the stars, suggested that Swanepoel’s nose appears surgically refined.

‘The dorsum—or bridge—looks narrower, and the tip appears more defined than the boxier nasal tip visible in earlier photographs.

‘Makeup can contour a nose in still images, but the degree of structural refinement suggests the possibility of a conservative rhinoplasty.

‘The result does not look like an entirely different nose. It looks like her original nose was narrowed and refined, which is usually the goal of a well-executed rhinoplasty,’ she added.

But Brady himself may also have dabbled with cosmetic tweakments as Dr Kimbrell identified ‘possible signs of a brow lift, lower-face liposuction, masseter-muscle reduction and potentially buccal-fat-pad removal.’

However, she caveated that some of his facial-volume loss may also be attributable to weight loss and natural aging.

‘Reducing the masseter muscles can narrow the back portion of the jaw, while lower-face liposuction reduces fat along the jawline and beneath the chin. 

‘When those changes are combined with overall facial-volume loss, the result is a much leaner and more sharply defined lower face,’ she explained.

To conclude, Dr Kimbrell shared that while the newly-formed couple do not share the ‘same cosmetic blueprint,’ they do have a ‘similarly sculpted aesthetic.’

‘Candice’s face appears to have been deliberately contoured through a combination of removing volume in some areas and adding it in others. 

‘Tom’s face appears to have narrowed through a different combination of lower-face contouring, muscle reduction, weight loss and normal age-related volume loss,’ she explained.

The expert identified ‘two possible points of overlap’ in some form of brow elevation and possible reduction of the buccal fat pads. 

‘While the procedure names may overlap, the techniques, proportions and final effects appear very different. 

‘I would describe this as a similar silhouette reached through two different cosmetic road maps—not matching makeovers,’ Dr Kimbrell concluded.

The Daily Mail has reached out to representatives for Swanepoel and Brady for comment.

A Perth man has been sentenced to nine months in prison after 105 dogs were left without sufficient food or water at his puppy farm during 40C heat. Twenty-two of the animals were later euthanised.

Jia Xu Dong, 41, was sentenced in Perth Magistrates Court on Wednesday after being found guilty of 36 animal cruelty offences in July last year.

RSPCA WA officers uncovered the conditions at the Canning Vale property in December 2024, after several dogs escaped while Dong was reportedly away in Albany for 10 days.

The dogs included groodles, golden retrievers, corgis, French bulldogs, cocker spaniels and a range of mixed breeds, according to the RSPCA.

Many had injuries believed to have resulted from fights, along with dental problems, severely matted fur and untreated medical conditions. The animals also showed fearful behaviour associated with prolonged neglect, the organisation said.

On a separate occasion, Dong travelled to China for two months. During his absence, 65 puppies were reportedly born at the property.

By the time the dogs were rescued, many appeared profoundly withdrawn and terrified of people. The RSPCA said the behaviour was likely linked to little or no positive interaction with humans.

The dogs displayed a range of stress-related behaviours, including staring at kennel walls for hours, resisting all attempts at handling and, in some cases, chewing the concrete walls of their enclosures, the RSPCA said.

Physically, the dogs were found with severe matting, embedded grass seeds, skin lesions, abscesses, ruptured eardrums, dental disease, dehydration and gastrointestinal illnesses.

The RSPCA said about 80 per cent of the dogs that survived have since been placed in new homes.

Dong, a Chinese national who moved to Australia at the age of 13, received the nine-month prison sentence after his conviction on 36 animal cruelty charges.

He was also ordered to pay a $5,000 fine for breaching court orders by selling a golden retriever puppy, despite having been directed to forfeit the animal in August 2025.

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Magistrate Sandra De Maio described Dong as a “devious and dishonest individual”, saying his conduct was “abhorrent and undoubtedly cruel”.

“His story changes like the tides. I simply do not believe a word he says,” Magistrate De Maio told the court, according to ABC reporting.

She said Dong had portrayed himself as a “hapless lover of dogs” who had sold puppies that were born accidentally, when he was actually operating a large-scale puppy farm.

The court heard that Dong may have bred more than 390 puppies over a four-year period, generating as much as $1.17 million through their sale.

‘He left [the dogs] to suffer in appalling conditions … he [was] uncaring of their welfare and indifferent to their pain … they suffered greatly for most of their lives,’ De Maio said.

She said he was ‘uncaring of their welfare and indifferent to their pain… (he) failed them entirely in all aspects of their care’.

The court heard Dong treated some of the dogs’ wounds with honey and initially refused to surrender the animals unless he was compensated for them, 7News reported.

Speaking outside the court on Wednesday, RSPCA senior inspector Jayde Palin said it was ‘heartwarming’ that some of the dogs could be saved.

‘Where you walk into a house and there’s just a mass number of dogs that are all suffering, desirable breeds, that people pay a lot of money for these dogs, you would expect them to be well cared for,’ she said.

‘Knowing that there are 70 to 80 per cent of dogs that I have helped that are now in the homes they’ve deserved ever since they were born, living their best lives or trying to live as normally as possible, I think that makes the job worthwhile.’ 

In addition to his prison sentence, Dong is banned from owning or breeding animals for life.

Two brothers accused of defrauding an elderly man with dementia of more than $600,000 are facing a series of additional charges.

George Mensah, 22, and Jesse Mensah, 25, were arrested at a unit in Sydney’s south-west in July following a lengthy investigation by the NSW State Crime Command’s Financial Crimes Squad.

Police allege the siblings cold-called potential victims before eventually making contact with an 88-year-old man from Paddington, in Sydney’s eastern suburbs.

The Mensahs allegedly posed as Commonwealth Bank employees during calls lasting up to 90 minutes, persuading the man to give them access to his online banking account and credit card.

Over a period of about a year, they allegedly drained his life savings, spending more than $600,000 on shares and transferring money to themselves and other people.

George Mensah was initially charged with two counts of dishonestly obtaining a financial advantage by deception, along with one count of knowingly dealing with the proceeds of crime.

The Daily Mail can reveal that he has since been charged with two additional counts of dishonestly obtaining a financial advantage by deception and 14 counts of dealing with identity information to commit an indictable offence.

He is also facing three counts of possessing identity information to commit an indictable offence.

Jesse Mensah was initially charged with dishonestly obtaining a financial advantage by deception, knowingly dealing with proceeds of crime and failing to comply with a digital evidence access order direction.

He has now been charged with two further counts of dishonestly obtaining a financial advantage by deception, as well as possessing an unauthorised pistol.

Jesse also faces seven counts of dealing with identity information to commit an indictable offence and six counts of possessing identity information for the same purpose.

George Mensah is a sprinter and model who, before his arrest, appeared in a Valour Sport advertising campaign featuring uniforms worn by Australian athletes at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in July and August.

Photographs of Mensah were removed from Valour’s website after the Mail asked the company about his involvement in promoting its role in outfitting team members for the Games.

“Valour Sport was unaware of the accusations against Mr George Mensah,” the company said in a statement.

“Imagery of Mr George Mensah has been removed from all campaigns. The charges are a matter for Mr George Mensah and NSW Police.”

George Mensah is studying criminology at university, while his older brother Jesse works as a youth worker.

Solicitor Abdul Saddik previously told the Mail that the Mensahs would defend the charges. Police said at the time that their investigation was continuing and that officers were searching for two other alleged offenders.

‘It is our view that there is a much bigger fraud in the background happening that is beyond the scope of our clients,’ Mr Saddik said.

‘We say that’s why the police say this is an ongoing investigation and they’re looking for at least two more people that benefited from the fraud.’

A third man, 26-year-old Saidu Samura, was arrested on July 16 and charged with knowingly dealing with proceeds of crime in relation to the alleged scam.

Police allege Samura assisted in trading $32,000 of shares from the elderly man’s money to purchase products online.

Strike Force Borlase was established by the Financial Crimes Squad in 2025 to investigate the Mensah brothers.

Detectives executed a search warrant on a unit at Yagoona about 6.10am on July 1 and arrested the pair with the assistance of officers from the Southwest Metropolitan Regional Enforcement Squad.

Commander of the Financial Crimes Squad, Detective Superintendent Gordan Arbinja, described the alleged actions of the Mensahs as ‘an appalling betrayal of a vulnerable member of our community’.

‘I consider targeting vulnerable people the apex of offending,’ Detective Superintendent Arbinja said.

‘They only interacted [with] him over the phone and he was convinced that he was talking to his own banking people.

‘They [allegedly] acted on his vulnerabilities but I’m convinced this was targeted and socially engineered towards the victim.

‘This man was [allegedly] completely exploited and stripped of all his wealth.’

Detective Superintendent Arbinja commended the Commonwealth Bank for reimbursing every dollar the elderly man had lost.

Mr Saddik told the Mail his clients had ‘unblemished records’ and that what police were alleging against them ‘just doesn’t fit in’.

‘These are two good blokes,’ he said. ‘I appreciate that on its face right now they don’t seem like very good blokes.

‘Scamming an 88-year-old man of his entire life savings at the end of his life while he’s suffering through dementia is a sickening act but there’s always another side to a story and there definitely is in this case.’

The Mensahs and Samura were granted bail and are next due to appear at Burwood Local Court on November 25. 

Strike Force Borlase’s inquiries are ongoing.