Helicopter carrying 4 people crashes in Superior, killing all victims
4 killed in Superior helicopter crash
Four people were killed Friday morning when a helicopter piloted by a 59-year-old Queen Creek man crashed in Superior, according to the Pinal County Sheriff's Office.
PINAL COUNTY, Ariz. - Four people were aboard a helicopter when it crashed in Superior on Friday morning, killing them all, the Pinal County Sheriff's Office (PCSO) said.
What we know:
The MD 369FF helicopter crashed at around 11 a.m. on Jan. 2 near Telegraph Canyon. It had taken off from Pegasus Airpark in Queen Creek.
For a while, authorities didn't know if the victims survived due to the remote area of the crash. Once they found the crash site, they confirmed there were no survivors.
"PCSO Search and Rescue, Superior Fire, Queen Valley Fire and BORSTAR crews reached the wreckage on foot alongside FAA investigators and confirmed four fatalities as a result of the crash. Next of kin notifications have been made to the families," PCSO said.
Authorities said preliminary evidence points to a "recreational slackline," more than a kilometer long, had been strung across a mountain range.
"An eyewitness who called 911 reported seeing the helicopter strike a portion of the line before falling to the bottom of the canyon," PCSO said.
The Victims:
A 59-year-old Queen Creek man was piloting the helicopter with three family members on board, authorities said. The passengers were all women, ages 21, 21 and 22. Their names haven't been released.
What we don't know:
The FAA did not release information about the conditions of those on board.
"Injuries have not been confirmed at this time as crews work to access the remote crash site," the Pinal County Sheriff's Office said.
What's next:
The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will investigate what happened.
Map of the area where the crash happened