A man and his three nieces have died in a helicopter crash in Arizona on the day he was due to be married. David McCarty, 59, was piloting the aircraft when it came down in rugged terrain east of Phoenix on 2 January.
The helicopter collided with a slackline near Telegraph Canyon, about 64 miles from Phoenix, at around 11am local time. An eyewitness reported seeing the aircraft strike part of the line before falling from the sky. Mr McCarty had taken Rachel McCarty, 22, Faith McCarty, 21, and Katelyn Heideman, also 21, for a ride ahead of his wedding to Joelleen Linstrom.
Rescuers had to reach the remote crash site on foot and did not arrive until around 5pm, with the deaths of all four occupants confirmed later that evening. The helicopter had taken off from an airport in Queen Creek, a suburb of Phoenix where Mr McCarty also owned a home. The Federal Aviation Administration issued a temporary flight restriction over the area during recovery and investigation work.
Mr McCarty was a long-time aviation professional and founder of Columbia Basin Helicopters, a company he established in 1997 and operated from La Grande. Friends and family described him as an experienced pilot who was devoted to his loved ones.
In a statement, Mary Jane Heideman, mother of Katelyn and aunt to Rachel and Faith, said: "They were all so loved. The girls had such bright futures. It's just hard to fathom this." Another niece, Elizabeth Gallup, wrote online: "Many have heard about the unimaginable losses in my family today... They went out for a helicopter ride in Arizona. The helicopter crashed and they never got the chance to come home." She added: "They are all in heaven together."
