Four people were killed when a helicopter crashed in a remote canyon in central Arizona after striking a slackline stretched across the terrain, authorities said.
The crash occurred shortly before 11 a.m. on Jan. 2 in Telegraph Canyon, south of Superior and about 65 miles east of Phoenix, according to the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office. Search and rescue teams reached the wreckage later that evening and confirmed all four people on board had died.
Officials said the helicopter struck a recreational slackline spanning the canyon before plunging to the canyon floor.
The victims were identified by family members as David McCarty, 59; Rachel McCarty, 23; Faith McCarty, 21; and Katelyn Heideman, 22, all from Oregon. The Pinal County Sheriff’s Office has not yet formally released the identities.
Public records indicate David McCarty was the owner of Columbia Basin Helicopters, a professional helicopter services company based in La Grande, Oregon. The aircraft involved was an MD 369FF helicopter, though it remains unclear whether the flight was connected to McCarty’s business operations.
An eyewitness reported seeing the helicopter strike part of the slackline before crashing, authorities said. The sheriff’s office described the line as being more than one kilometer long and strung across the mountain range.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are investigating the incident. Federal aviation records show that a Notice to Air Missions (NOTAM) had been issued warning pilots of a “tight rope” obstruction in the area. The notice described a flagged and lighted rope within a one-nautical-mile radius at an altitude of approximately 600 feet above ground level.
The International Slackline Association said the FAA had been informed of the marked slackline prior to the crash and confirmed that no highliners were on the line at the time of the incident. The organization expressed condolences to the victims’ families.
A slackline is a narrow strip of webbing anchored between two points and used for balancing or walking. Highlining refers to the practice of slacklining at significant heights, including across canyons.
According to the sheriff’s office, the helicopter departed from Pegasus Airpark in Queen Creek. Officials have not disclosed the aircraft’s intended destination.
