SUPERIOR, Ariz. — Four people have died after a helicopter crashed Friday morning in Superior, Arizona, east of Phoenix, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
The FAA said an MD 369FF private helicopter went down in the mountains near Telegraph Canyon around 11 a.m.
Officials say the helicopter took off from Pegasus Airpark in Queen Creek.
Authorities confirmed that a 59-year-old man from Queen Creek, who was piloting the helicopter, and three female family members aged 22, 21 and 21 died from the crash.
"Preliminary evidence indicates a recreational slackline more than a kilometer long had been strung across the 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," Pinal County Sheriff's Office said.
The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the crash.
The National Forest Service, FAA and NTSB are investigating whether the slackline was built illegally, Pinal County sheriff's officials add.
