An undated image posted to the social media account for Pinal County Sheriff’s Office in Arizona near Telegraph Canyon, south of the town of Superior, where a helicopter crash took the lives of four Oregonians, Jan. 2, 2026.
Pinal County Sheriff’s Office via X
A week before a helicopter crash in an Arizona canyon killed four Oregonians, federal aviation authorities warned pilots that there would be a tightrope in the area, 600 feet in the air.
The tightrope, hanging three miles south of Superior Municipal Airport, was listed as flagged and lighted, a spokesperson with the Federal Aviation Administration confirmed to OPB. Shortly after the crash on Friday morning, the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office mentioned the tightrope when it said the helicopter may have been brought down by a “recreational slackline more than one kilometer long” that “had been strung across the mountain range.”
The FAA warning noted that the rope would be there between Dec. 26, 2025, and Jan. 6, 2026. The helicopter crashed on Jan. 2 around 11 a.m. The crash killed four members of one Eastern Oregon family, including 59-year-old pilot David McCarty and his three nieces, Rachel McCarty, 23, Faith McCarty, 21, and Katelyn Heideman, 21.
“The International Slackline Association is heartbroken to learn of a tragic incident that occurred in the United States on January 2nd, 2026, in which a helicopter collided with a 1km long highline,” The ISA said in a Jan. 5 release. “The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the incident. We extend our deepest sympathies to all of those affected by this tragic event.”
A screenshot shows a warning about a tightrope hanging south of the Superior Municipal Airport in the Notice to Airmen or NOTAM search site, which is designed to assist pilots and aircrews for flight planning and familiarization, according to the FAA.
Screenshot via the Federal NOTAM System website / OPB
David McCarty owned Columbia Basin Helicopters based out of La Grande.
Elizabeth Gallup, Rachel and Faith McCarty’s sister, confirmed their deaths in a Friday night Facebook post.
“Please continue to pray over every single family member as we process this heartbreak,” Gallup wrote. “All the love and support is welcome. We truly have no words right now.”
The McCarty sisters were standout athletes at Echo High School, with Faith, Rachel and their two older sisters competing in basketball, volleyball, softball and track, according to the East Oregonian. Their cousin, Heideman, played basketball in nearby Hermiston and earned a scholarship to the University of Providence in Montana.
In 2021, Faith told the newspaper that she came from a competitive family, her father and mother having both been track and field athletes in college. Faith also played at Yakima Valley College.
Three of the family members killed in a helicopter crash in Arizona, Jan. 2, 2026. (Left to right) Rachel McCarty, her sister Faith McCarty, and their cousin Katelyn Heideman. Source images: Images courtesy of Elizabeth Gallup, Yakima Valley College and University of Providence.
Provided photos
“She was really well-liked by everyone in the athletics program,” said Yakima Valley College spokesperson Dustin Wunderlich. “They’ll be holding a moment of silence for Faith and her family before the women’s basketball game here on Wednesday.”
The Echo School District sent condolences to the McCarty family in a Facebook post over the weekend.
“During this difficult time, we ask our school community to keep the McCarty family in your thoughts and prayers,” the school district wrote. “May they feel surrounded by care, compassion, and support as they navigate the days ahead.”
Philip Hofbauer of Ukiah, Oregon, had been friends with David McCarty since he was in the 5th grade. He told OPB on Sunday that David was widely respected throughout the area, and Hofbauer remembered working on the McCarty ranch in high school.
“I honestly couldn’t describe a better family,” Hofbauer said. “They’ve been a huge inspiration to me my whole life.”
An official with the National Transportation Safety Board said the agency will investigate the pilot, the aircraft and the operating environment. Although the agency will release its first report on the crash within 30 days, a final report could take as long as two years to compile.
An FAA spokesperson said it wasn’t clear who set up the tightrope. The canyon where the crash occurred is overseen by the U.S. National Forest Service, whose representatives in the area did not respond to interview requests.
An eyewitness reportedly saw the helicopter collide with a half-mile-long “recreational slackline” before falling into a canyon, according to a statement from the sheriff’s office issued Friday night.
OPB’s Kristyna Wentz-Graff contributed to this report.
Correction: An earlier version of this story misstated the date of the fatal helicopter crash that left four people dead. It was Friday, Jan. 2, 2026. OPB regrets the error.
