Overview
- The Pinal County Sheriff’s Office said the victims were a 59-year-old pilot from Queen Creek and three female family members, ages 22, 21 and 21, with names not yet released.
- The helicopter departed Pegasus Airpark in Queen Creek and went down around 11 a.m. near Telegraph Canyon, where deputies first located the wreckage visually.
- Search-and-rescue teams reached the remote site around 5 p.m., and officials confirmed the four fatalities later that evening.
- The FAA confirmed the aircraft as an MD 369FF with four people on board and issued a temporary flight restriction to protect rescue operations.
- The NTSB and FAA have opened an investigation, with preliminary information and an eyewitness 911 call indicating the aircraft may have struck a recreational slackline.