Lawmakers target hidden air hazards after deadly Arizona helicopter crash

PHOENIX (AZFamily) — A bipartisan bill named after a helicopter pilot and his three nieces, who all died when their aircraft struck a slackline strung across a mountain range near Superior, was introduced in Congress on Wednesday.

The McCarty and Heideman Air Safety Enhancement Act is named after pilot David McCarty and his three nieces — Faith, Rachel and Katelyn. According to the National Transportation Safety Board’s initial crash report, the helicopter struck a slackline hanging 600 feet in the air across a mountain range near Superior in early January.

What the bill would do

The legislation would require the Federal Aviation Administration to review its rules around low-altitude airspace safety, including regulations on marking slacklines and other hard-to-see obstacles. It would also require the agency to evaluate whether it can improve its system that alerts pilots when a slackline is present, and whether existing penalties for rule-breakers are sufficient.

Cary Grant, an aviation expert and professor of aeronautical science at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, said pilots may not be aware of how widespread the issue is.

“Pilots will, they’ll be surprised by how many slacklines there are out there,” Grant said. “You start looking at it and it’s like measles on a chart, they’re everywhere.”

Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) voiced his support for stronger protections.

“Pilot David McCarty and his three nieces tragically lost their lives in a helicopter crash near Superior, Arizona, in January,” Sen. Gallego said. “This should never have happened, and it highlighted critical gaps in aviation safety. The McCarty and Heideman Aviation SafetyEnhancement Act will prevent tragedies like this from occurring again.”

Family’s push for change

Since the crash, Elizabeth McCarty Gallup has spent seven months meeting with lawmakers in Oregon, Arizona and Washington, D.C., advocating for airspace safety reform in her family’s honor.

“So many doors have been opened and I have to chalk that up a little bit to God and to them,” McCarty Gallup said.

McCarty Gallup said she is not celebrating until the act passes through Congress and is signed into law, but she believes her family members are aware of her efforts.

“You know, they’re helping get this done. So there’s not a doubt in my mind that they don’t know,” she said.

The bill still needs to pass both the House and the Senate before heading to the president’s desk.

The FAA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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