Sad as Groom, three nieces k!lled in Helicopter crash on wedding day
Published on January 6, 2026 at 3:30 PM by Edgar Naitha
A groom and three of his nieces have died after a private helicopter crashed into a canyon just hours before his wedding in the United States.
The pilot, David McCarty, 59, was flying family members in his MD 369FF helicopter through Telegraph Canyon near Superior, Arizona.
Authorities said the helicopter struck a recreational slackline stretched across the canyon at around 11 a.m., causing the aircraft to plunge to the canyon floor.
McCarty died alongside his nieces Rachel McCarty, 23, Faith McCarty, 21, and their cousin, Katelyn Heideman, 22.
Due to the remote and rugged terrain, emergency and search-and-rescue crews were forced to hike to the crash site, reaching the wreckage at about 5 p.m.
Police said all four victims were pronounced dead later that evening.
The victims, who were from Oregon, had travelled to Arizona for what was meant to be a family celebration ahead of McCarty’s wedding to his fiancée, Joelleen Linstrom.
Relatives said McCarty was an experienced pilot who had flown through the canyon many times without incident and had built a successful helicopter business in Oregon.
Family members described the loss as devastating, saying the wedding day, which was meant to be a celebration, had instead become a moment of profound grief.
