La Grande business owner, three others killed after helicopter crashes in Arizona

PINAL COUNTY, Arizona – David McCarty, 59, owner of Columbia Basin Helicopters, based in La Grande, Oregon, has died, along with three other family members after a private helicopter crashed in a mountain range outside Phoenix Friday morning, according to family members.

The crashed occurred around 11 a.m. local time and involved an MD369FF helicopter, according to the National Transportation Safety Board.

The Pinal County Sheriff’s Office said preliminary evidence indicates a recreational slackline had been struck 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.

Slacklining is an activity, similar to tightrope walking, that involves balancing along a suspended length of flat webbing that is tensioned between two anchors, according to Slackline U.S.

The sheriff’s office said McCarty was piloting the helicopter. A relative of McCarty identified the three female passengers, all family members, as Rachel McCarty, 23; Katelyn Heideman, 22; and Faith McCarty, 21.

The helicopter had departed from Pegasus Airpark in Queen Creek, Arizona, about 43 miles southeast of Phoenix. Elkhorn Media Group has learned McCarty, who lived in Baker City, Oregon, also had a home in Arizona.

Next of kin notifications have been made to the families. An investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration and NTSB is ongoing.

Photo via Pinal County Sheriff’s Office

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Elkhorn Media Group