A groom and three of his nieces died when their helicopter crashed into a canyon just hours before his wedding was supposed to happen. David McCarty, 59, was flying his family members in his MD 369FF helicopter through Telegraph Canyon near Superior, Arizona, when disaster struck.
According to The Sun, McCarty died along with his nieces Rachel, 23, Faith, 21, and their cousin Katelyn Heideman, 22. The group had traveled from Oregon for what was meant to be a happy family weekend celebrating the wedding.
At 11 am, the helicopter hit a recreational slackline that was stretched across the mountains. The crash sent the aircraft falling down to the canyon floor. Emergency teams had to hike to reach the crash site and found the destroyed wreckage around 5 pm. All four people were declared dead that evening.
The wedding celebration turned into an unimaginable tragedy for two families
The crash happened just hours before McCarty was set to get married. A family member said the families lost half of their children on what was supposed to be a celebration day. Another relative mentioned that McCarty just wanted to show his family around the area.
People who saw the accident reported that the helicopter’s rotor blades hit the slackline before the aircraft fell into the rough canyon area. Arizona has seen its share of shocking incidents involving local residents making headlines recently. McCarty was an experienced pilot who had flown through this canyon many times before without any issues.
NEW: Groom and three nieces k*lled after sightseeing helicopter strikes slackline in canyon hours before wedding
— Unlimited L's (@unlimited_ls) January 5, 2026
David McCarty, 59, was flying relatives in his private MD 369FF helicopter through remote Telegraph Canyon near Superior, Arizona
Authorities said the aircraft… pic.twitter.com/jJlWWrrZJa
He started Columbia Basin Helicopters in the 1990s. His business focused on power-line construction, logging, firefighting, and aircraft recovery. He owned several helicopters and had homes in both Oregon and Queen Creek, Arizona.
The slackline is used for a recreational activity where people balance on a line or rope stretched tightly between two fixed points. Reports say the line had aviation markers on it, and a Notice to Air Missions had been sent out warning pilots about the obstruction around 600 feet above the ground.
Mary Jane Heideman, Katelyn’s mother, said the girls were all loved and had bright futures ahead of them. The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board are now looking into how the slackline ended up across the canyon.
“The families lost 50 per cent of their children on the wedding day, which was supposed to be a celebration,” another family member said. “It’s extremely tough,” they added.
This tragedy joins other unexpected problems Arizona residents have faced in recent times. The NTSB plans to move the wreckage to a secure location for more investigation. The helicopter had taken off from Pegasus Airpark in Queen Creek, about 30 miles west of Superior.
