Investigators have released their preliminary report on a helicopter crash near Superior. The helicopter crashed after it struck a recreational slackline suspended in Telegraph Canyon on Jan. 2, killing all four passengers onboard.
The National Transportation Safety Board say they found slackline material embedded in the helicopter’s vertical stabilizer, and damage to the paint and rotors consistent with impacting the slackline.
Witnesses working to raise the slackline said the helicopter was flying around eye level. When the impact occurred, the helicopter’s nose pitched up, yawed to the right and its tail separated before it hit the ground about 150 to 350 feet below the line.
Slacklining is a sport that involves balancing across a tensioned line similar to tightrope walking. Slacklines have significantly less tension, making them bouncy. Highlining is a variation of slacklining where the line spans great distances, such as between buildings or across canyons.
