Federal aviation records show that a week before a fatal helicopter crash, a notice was issued that a tightrope would be stretched across a mountainous area of Arizona, providing a warning for pilots to watch out for the temporary obstacle as they charted flights through the region. A helicopter pilot and three family members were killed after colliding with the more than half-mile-long slackline near Telegraph Canyon. Authorities say a witness reported seeing the helicopter strike a portion of the line before falling to the bottom of the canyon. Investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board will be combing through the wreckage over the coming weeks as they try to determine what led up to the Friday crash.
The AP reports the case is making ripples through the aviation world, with safety experts unaware of any other helicopter crashes that have involved a slackline. Power lines and unmarked cables are a perpetual concern for helicopter pilots because they are inherently difficult to see without markers, lighting, or other infrastructure like power poles, said Tom Anthony, director of the Aviation Safety and Security Program at the University of Southern California. He said it's important for pilots to review Notices to Airmen, or NOTAMs, while planning their flights.
Under FAA regulations, that means checking for any notices that might be issued along an entire flight path, not just where a flight departs or lands. The FAA says pilots should also review notices within 25 nautical miles of their flight path to be safe. Such notices can warn pilots about anything from slacklines to work along certain runways and what airspace might be restricted. Anthony acknowledges there can be many notices to review. "It can be a drudge, a chore, but you've got to do it," he said.
It will be up to federal investigators to determine if there were any mechanical issues or other problems leading up to the crash. It could be months before a final report is issued. Authorities on Monday confirmed the identities of those who were killed. They were David McCarty, the 59-year-old pilot, and his nieces Rachel McCarty, Faith McCarty, and Katelyn Heideman. McCarty started Columbia Basin Helicopters in the 1990s, building the company into one that was awarded millions of dollars in federal contracts for firefighting support, agricultural spraying, seeding, and other projects across nine Western states. The company has offices in Oregon and Arizona.
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