Four family members died Friday when a helicopter crashed in Arizona after apparently striking a recreational slackline stretched across a mountain range, authorities said. The crash occurred near Telegraph Canyon, south of Superior, at about 11 a.m.; an eyewitness reported seeing the aircraft hit the line before it plunged into the canyon. Victims included the 59-year-old pilot, a 22-year-old woman and two 21-year-old women. The FAA identified the helicopter as an MD 369FF, and the NTSB will investigate.
Arizona Helicopter Strikes Slackline, Crashes; Four Family Members Killed
Four people were killed Friday after a helicopter crashed in the mountains near Telegraph Canyon in Arizona. (Pinal County Sheriff's Office)
Four family members were killed Friday when a helicopter crashed in a remote Arizona mountain canyon after apparently striking a long recreational slackline, authorities said.
What Officials Say
The Pinal County Sheriff’s Office said it received reports around 11 a.m. of a helicopter down in the mountains near Telegraph Canyon, south of the town of Superior. An eyewitness who called 911 reported seeing the aircraft strike part of the slackline before it fell to the bottom of the canyon.
"Preliminary evidence indicates a recreational slackline more than one kilometer long had been strung across the mountain range," the sheriff’s office said in an afternoon update.
Victims and Aircraft
The sheriff’s office said the four victims were family members: the 59-year-old pilot, a 22-year-old woman and two 21-year-old women. The helicopter had departed Pegasus Airpark in Queen Creek, about 30 miles west of Superior. The Federal Aviation Administration identified the aircraft as an MD 369FF.
Investigation and Context
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will investigate the crash. Authorities have not released additional details about who set up the slackline, whether it was authorized, or any charges. The sheriff’s office said it had no further information late Friday.
Recreational slacklining involves balancing or performing tricks on a narrow, tensioned webbing anchored between two points such as trees, according to the International Slackline Association. Officials said the line involved in this incident appeared unusually long and was strung across a mountain ridge, creating a significant hazard to low-flying aircraft.
Superior is a small town of roughly 2,400 people, located just over 55 miles east of Phoenix. This report was originally published on NBCNews.com; local and federal agencies continue their investigation.
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