The Superior Municipal Airport (E81) was closed after a fatal helicopter accident on Friday. Pinal County Sheriff’s Office used it as a staging area for rescue operations. Photo courtesy of PCSO
On Friday, Jan. 2, 2026, a helicopter carrying four people crashed in the mountains near Telegraph Canyon close to Superior.
Pinal County Sheriff’s Office reported that deputies responded and visually located a single crashed private helicopter that had departed earlier that day from Pegasus Airpark in Queen Creek, Arizona.
That same evening, PCSO Search and Rescue, Superior Fire, Queen Valley Fire and BORSTAR crews reached the wreckage on foot alongside FAA investigators and confirmed four fatalities as a result of the crash. Next of kin notifications, PCSO said, had been made.
According to PCSO, preliminary evidence indicated a recreational slackline more than one 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.
The decedents include a 59-year-old man from Queen Creek, who was piloting the helicopter, and three female family members, ages 22, 21 and 21.
Slacklining is a balance sport using a flat, tensioned webbing line between two anchors, offering physical and mental benefits like improved core strength, focus, and coordination, accessible for all ages with setups in parks or backyards for walking, tricks, and meditative challenges, much like a dynamic, stretchy trampoline compared to a tightrope.
Slacklines have become very popular adventure experiences. Usually the individual installs them, just like a tightrope then they go across it like a tight rope. Slacklines have been spotted across some of the vertical canyons on Apache Leap. The climbing community enjoy the sport as well.
In a statement released online, the International Slackline Association, ISA, said: “ISA is heartbroken to learn of a tragic incident that occurred in the United States on Jan. 2, 2026, in which a helicopter collided with a 1km long highline.
“The highline had aviation markers attached to it. The FAA had been informed of the highline and a NOTAM (Notice to Air Missions) had been issued before the collision.
“We extend our deepest sympathy and condolences to all of those affected by this tragic event.”
The investigation by the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board is ongoing. Additional information will be released as it becomes available.