What happened
On January 2, 2026, at approximately 1100 mountain standard time, an MD369FF helicopter, registration N3502P, struck a highline/slackline assembly near Superior, Arizona. The aircraft was operating under 14 CFR Part 91 for personal use. The impact resulted in 4 fatal injuries for the pilot and three passengers.
Prior to the accident, a group of slackliners had established a signalization line between two bluffs located approximately 0.74 miles apart. This line supported five windsocks and ten LED lights. Following predicted high winds and rain on December 30, 2025, the group had lowered the mainline and backup lines. On the morning of the accident, the group had begun re-tensioning the lines between the anchors.
A witness near the southern anchor reported seeing the helicopter flying east at approximately eye level. After the aircraft briefly passed behind terrain, it reappeared flying toward the suspended lines. The helicopter struck the lines, causing the aircraft to pitch nose up and yaw to the right, which led to the separation of the tailboom. The fuselage became inverted before impacting the ground approximately 350 feet from the lines, while the tailboom impacted approximately 150 feet from the lines.
The investigation
Post-accident examination of the aircraft found material consistent with highline/slackline webbing embedded in the upper portion of the vertical stabilizer. The lower ends of the horizontal stabilizer end caps were sheared off, and paint striations matching the webbing weave pattern were found on the vertical and horizontal stabilizers. Similar striations were identified on two of the main rotor blades.
While the helicopter was equipped with a wire strike protection system featuring cutters on the top and bottom of the forward fuselage, these surfaces showed no signs of striations or disturbed paint.
A Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) had been filed on December 21, 2025, by an associate of the slackliners, notifying pilots of a "tight rope" approximately 3 nautical miles south of Superior Municipal Airport (E81). This NOTAM was active from December 26, 2025, through January 6, 2026.