A tragic helicopter crash in the remote mountains of Arizona on Friday claimed the lives of all four people on board, authorities confirmed. The incident occurred near Telegraph Canyon, approximately 64 miles (103 kilometres) east of Phoenix, around 11 am local time.
Victims and Crash Details
The Pinal County Sheriff’s Office stated that the fatalities included the 59-year-old pilot and three female passengers, aged 21, 21, and 22. The three younger victims were identified as family members. The helicopter, an MD 369FF model, had departed from Pegasus Airpark in Queen Creek. Emergency services received reports of the crash near Superior around 11 am.
Due to the extremely rugged and difficult-to-access terrain, rescue teams and investigators from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) had to reach the site on foot by Friday evening. The sheriff's office extended its condolences, saying, "Our prayers are with the victims and their families."
Possible Slackline Involvement and Investigation
Authorities revealed a critical lead from an eyewitness account. The person who called 911 reported seeing the helicopter strike a portion of a recreational slackline before plummeting to the canyon floor. This detail is now a key focus of the ongoing investigation.
Following the accident, the FAA imposed a temporary flight restriction over the area to ensure the safety of search and rescue operations. The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) have taken charge of the probe to determine the exact cause of the fatal crash.
A Grim Week for US Aviation
This Arizona tragedy comes just days after another deadly helicopter incident in the United States. Last Sunday, two pilots, identified as 65-year-old Kenneth Kirsch and 71-year-old Michael Greenberg, were killed in a mid-air collision near Hammonton Municipal Airport in New Jersey. The pilots were regulars at a nearby café, whose owner expressed shock at the devastating event.
The challenging landscape of the Telegraph Canyon area, noted by locals on social media as "extremely rugged," likely complicated both the flight conditions and the subsequent rescue efforts. The community and aviation authorities are now grappling with the aftermath of this sudden loss.
