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By Kate Plummer
Senior US News Reporter
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Four people have died after a helicopter crashed into what appeared to be a slackline in the Arizona mountains.
According to a statement from Pinal County Sheriff's Office, authorities confirmed the fatalities from the wreckage after a helicopter appeared to crash into "a recreational slackline more than one kilometer long" that was strung up across the mountain range near Telegraph Canyon, south of the town of Superior.
Newsweek reached out to the Pinal County Sheriff's Office by email to comment on this story outside of normal business hours.
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Why It Matters
While it is not confirmed, if it was caused by a slackline, this is also raises further concerns about the risks slacklining materials pose to aircraft.
Slacklining—when people walk on webbing strung up between two points like trees and mountains—has grown in popularity over the last few years. It is not dissimilar to tightrope walking.
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What To Know
The sheriff's office received reports of the crash at around 11 a.m, local time. They said an eyewitness reported seeing the helicopter strike a portion of the slackline before falling to the bottom of the canyon.
The sheriff's office said those died included a 59-year-old man from Queen Creek, who was piloting the helicopter, and three female family members, ages 22, and two at 21. The office did not provide any additional information about the identity of these individuals.
The the Federal Aviation Administration told multiple outlets the crash involved an MD 369FF helicopter.
Newsweek contacted the FAA by email to comment on this story outside of normal business hours.
This tragic event follows other aviation incidents. The U.S. Helicopter Safety Team, an industry-led safety group, reported in January that there were 89 helicopter accidents in 2024, 13 of them fatal, killing 30 people.
In early 2025, a sightseeing helicopter carrying a family of five crashed into New York's Hudson River, killing all onboard, and in January 2025, a fatal collision between an American Airlines Flight 5342 and a Black Hawk military helicopter killed 67 people.
What People Are Saying
Pinal County Sheriff's Office said on Facebook: "Our prayers are with the victims and their families."
What Happens Next
The sheriff's office said the next of kin of those who died have been informed of the incident.
It said there is an ongoing investigation from the National Transportation Safety Board and the FAA and that "additional information will be released as it becomes available."
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