Overview
- Family members named the victims as pilot David McCarty, 59, and his nieces Rachel McCarty, 23, Faith McCarty, 21, and Katelyn Heideman, 22.
- The MD 369FF helicopter departed Pegasus Airpark around 11 a.m. and went down near Telegraph Canyon after preliminary reports indicated it struck a long recreational slackline.
- An eyewitness who called 911 reported the aircraft hit the line before falling to the bottom of the canyon, according to the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office.
- Crews reached the remote, rugged site on foot hours later and confirmed four fatalities, as the FAA set a temporary flight restriction to protect operations.
- The NTSB is leading the investigation with FAA support, and the International Slackline Association says a NOTAM warned of a flagged and lighted rope, a detail not yet confirmed by the FAA.