How pair escaped injury is among the unanswered questions

CORVALLIS - A flight instructor and his student were the two men who were able to walk away from a helicopter crash atop Marys Peak on Monday evening with only minor injuries.

Rory Kirkendall, 22, of Hillsboro and Paul Oldenburg, 24, of Portland, were flying in a helicopter rented from Hillsboro Aviation. They took off from the Troutdale Airport, just east of Portland, according to Benton County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Sgt. Jenna Morrison.

"The helicopter fell down a 150-foot embankment after flying near the towers," she said Tuesday.

The aircraft was seen flying near a group of communications towers around 7 p.m. when it crashed, Morrison said.

A woman called the county dispatch center about 7:15 p.m. Monday to report that her son had witnessed the crash and saw two people emerge from the downed helicopter near the towers. The crash victims walked to a nearby campground to seek help, Morrison said.

The U.S. Forest Service closed off access to the crash site Tuesday morning. Deputies said Tuesday afternoon that they did not yet know who was at the controls when the helicopter crashed, if the crash victims exited the aircraft before or after it tumbled down the embankment, or which man was the instructor.

A spokesperson for Hillsboro Aviation, who declined to give her name, confirmed that the aircraft and instructor were affiliated with their company. She said that a representative for the company was in Corvallis on Tuesday to arrange for retrieval of the helicopter. She did not provide information on the extent of damage to the aircraft and referred further questions were to a manager, who has not yet returned calls.

Morrison said deputies are restricting access to the crash site pending a possible investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration. However, Marys Peak road and the upper parking lot are open.