A family helicopter ride ended in tragedy on Friday when four people, including a groom just hours from his wedding, were killed after the aircraft struck a recreational slackline in a remote Arizona canyon.
A Fatal Flight on a Wedding Day
Pilot David McCarty, 59, had taken his three nieces for a flight in his private MD 369FF helicopter on the morning he was due to marry his fiancée, Joelleen Linstrom. The group took off from Queen Creek airport, a suburb of Phoenix, for what was meant to be a brief excursion.
Tragically, the helicopter went down in the rugged terrain of Telegraph Canyon, approximately 64 miles east of Phoenix, at around 11am. McCarty died alongside his nieces: Rachel McCarty, 22, Faith McCarty, 21, and Katelyn Heideman, 21. The wedding ceremony was never to take place.
Investigation Points to Slackline Collision
Authorities from the Pinal County Sheriff's Office stated that an eyewitness reported seeing the helicopter strike a portion of a slackline before plummeting to the canyon floor. The highline, used for the extreme sport of slacklining, was stretched more than half a mile across the canyon.
Keith Holloway of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) confirmed investigators are examining how the line came to be placed across the flight path and whether it was visible. Preliminary evidence suggests one of the rotor blades may have separated after impact, causing the aircraft to overturn.
The International Slackline Association (ISA) stated the line had aviation markers and that a NOTAM (Notice to Air Missions) had been issued by the FAA, warning pilots to avoid the area. No highliners were present at the time of the crash.
Aftermath and Heartbroken Tributes
Due to the extreme isolation of the crash site, deputies and search-and-rescue teams could not reach the wreckage on foot until around 5pm. The deaths of those on board were confirmed later that evening.
The community and family have been left devastated. A heartbroken Linstrom posted a tribute to her lost fiancé online. Mary Jane Heideman, mother of Katelyn and aunt to Rachel and Faith, told The Arizona Republic, "They were all so loved. The girls had such bright futures. It's just hard to fathom this."
Another niece, Elizabeth Gallup, posted a heartbreaking message online, writing, "They went out for a helicopter ride in Arizona. The helicopter crashed and they never got the chance to come home... They are all in heaven together."
McCarty was a longtime aviation professional and the owner of Columbia Basin Helicopters, described by friends as an experienced pilot deeply devoted to his family. The FAA and NTSB continue their investigation into the circumstances of this tragic accident.
