Tragic news out of Arizona where a helicopter crash left 4 dead after they struck a slackline near Telegraph Canyon.
According to the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office, reports of the crash were first received around 11am on Friday, January 2nd, with deputies finding a single crashed private helicopter that had departed from Pegasus Airpark in Queen Creek, Arizona.
Eyewitnesses reported seeing the helicopter strike a portion of a recreational slackline that had been strung across the mountain range. It was supposedly more than a kilometer long. The helicopter pilot, a 59-year-old man, and three female family members aged 22, 21, and 21 who were onboard, all died in the crash.
The International Slackline Association released a statement following the accident, clarifying that the highline had aviation markers attached. Additionally, the Federal Aviation Administration had been informed of the line and archives show a NOTAM (Notice To Air Missions) had been issued before the crash. Nobody were on the line at the moment of the accident.
An investigation by the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board is currently ongoing, and additional information will be released as it’s made available. Our thoughts and condolences are with the friends and family of the deceased at this time.
