Wyden, Merkley urge FAA to strengthen slackline warnings after fatal crash

A helicopter piloted by Baker County resident David McCarty, 59, struck a recreational slackline across Telegraph Canyon in Arizona’s Tonto National Forest on Jan. 2, killing McCarty and three passengers identified as Rachel McCarty, 23; Faith McCarty, 21; and Katelyn Heideman, 21. The three passengers were reported to be the pilot’s nieces.

The National Transportation Safety Board issued a preliminary report on Jan. 21 that states, based on witnesses and other evidence, the helicopter hit a recreational slackline. The NTSB preliminary report quotes a witness saying in part, “According to a witness, on or around December 26, 2025, he and a group of friends traveled to the area near the accident site, which consisted of a valley with terrain elevations that ranged between 2,600-3,500 ft mean sea level. Using two anchors spaced on bluffs about 0.74 mile apart, they raised a signalization line that carried five windsocks and about ten LED lights. After the signalization line was raised, they used additional nylon lines to draw the mainline and backup lines between the anchors. The lines were oriented in a generally north/south direction and were estimated to be about 600 ft above the ground at their highest point.”

In response to the preliminary findings, Oregon U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley sent a letter dated Feb. 13 to Federal Aviation Administration officials urging the agency to move quickly to change slackline guidance and regulation. The senators asked FAA officials “to continue working closely with the NTSB (National Transportation Safety Board, the agency investigating the crash) and promptly adopt initial safety suggestions they may have based on their preliminary findings,” and they urged “immediate action” to change regulations regarding slacklines.

NTSB spokesperson Keith Holloway told reporters that a final report “likely will be released within 12 to 24 months.” The preliminary report attributes the installation details and signalization features to a witness account; the NTSB has not yet issued final determinations of probable cause or formal recommendations, and the specific content of any initial safety suggestions to the FAA has not been published.

The crash and the senators’ Feb. 13 letter have focused attention on the intersection of recreational practices and aviation safety for communities across eastern Oregon. The victims’ ties to Baker County and Umatilla County, and the involvement of Oregon’s U.S. senators, mean the FAA’s response and any regulatory changes could affect pilots, land managers, and recreational users in the region.

Federal and land-management agencies now face a timetable set by the NTSB investigation; with the final report expected within 12 to 24 months, Wyden and Merkley have pressed the FAA to work with the NTSB and to adopt any initial safety suggestions promptly. No FAA response to the senators’ Feb. 13 letter or specific regulatory actions were included in the available reports.