What caused the fatal helicopter crash near Superior, Arizona?

Investigators are looking into a slackline strung across the mountains as a potential cause, after an eyewitness reported the helicopter struck it before crashing.

Who were the victims of the Arizona helicopter crash?

The victims were identified as David McCarty, the pilot, and his nieces Rachel McCarty, Faith McCarty, and Katelyn Heideman, all from Oregon.

When did the fatal helicopter crash occur?

The helicopter crashed on January 2nd, shortly before the pilot, David McCarty, was scheduled to be married.

Home / Disasters and Accidents / Slackline May Have Caused Fatal Arizona Crash

Slackline May Have Caused Fatal Arizona Crash

4 Jan

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Summary

Four relatives died when a helicopter crashed in Arizona mountains.
A recreational slackline was found strung across the mountains.
An eyewitness reported the helicopter struck the slackline before crashing.

Slackline May Have Caused Fatal Arizona Crash

Four members of a family from Oregon, including three young cousins and their uncle, perished in a helicopter crash in the Arizona desert on January 2nd. David McCarty, the pilot and uncle, was en route to his own wedding when the private aircraft went down in the mountains near Telegraph Canyon. His fiancée, Joelleen Linstrom, was awaiting his arrival.

The Pinal County Sheriff's Office reported that preliminary evidence points to a recreational slackline, extending over a kilometer, as a potential cause of the crash. An eyewitness informed authorities that the helicopter appeared to strike a portion of this line before its fatal descent into the canyon.

The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Agency have launched a joint investigation into the circumstances surrounding the crash. The helicopter had departed from Pegasus Airpark in Queen Creek, Arizona, and emergency services located the wreckage on foot later that day.