A helicopter crashed in Arizona on Friday, killing four people, after the plane appeared to hit more than a half-mile of “recreational slackline” that stretches across a mountain, the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office said.
The Sheriff’s Office said it received reports around 11 a.m. that a helicopter crashed in the mountains near Telegraph Canyon, south of the town of Superior.
The Sheriff’s Office said four family members died in the crash, including the 59-year-old pilot, a 22-year-old woman and two 21-year-old women.
“Preliminary evidence indicates that a recreational flatline over a kilometer long was strung across the mountain range,” the Sheriff’s Office said in an update Friday afternoon.
“A witness who called 911 reported seeing the helicopter hit part of the line and then crash to the bottom of the canyon,” the office said.
According to the International Slackline Association, slackline can refer to balancing or performing tricks on a narrow webbing suspended between two points, such as a tree.
The Sheriff’s Office did not provide additional information in the post about the purpose of the line, and it was unclear whether the line was established with authorization.
A spokesman for the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to an emailed request late Friday for more details.
The helicopter took off from Pegasus Airport in Queen Creek, about 30 miles west of Superior, the Sheriff’s Office said.
The Federal Aviation Administration said the helicopter was an MD 369FF. The National Transportation Safety Board said it would investigate the accident.
Superior is a town of about 2,400 people located in the mountains a little more than 55 miles east of Phoenix.
This article originally appeared on NBCNews.com
