Documentarians die in helicopter crash

JASPER'S BRUSH, Australia, Feb. 5 (UPI) -- Two filmmakers who worked with director James Cameron on his deep-sea documentary films died in a helicopter crash in Australia.

Mike deGruy, 60, and Andrew Wight's helicopter -- piloted by Wight, 52 -- crashed shortly after takeoff Saturday in Jasper's Brush, about 80 miles south of Sydney, the National Geographic reported Sunday.

"Mike and Andrew were like family to me. They were my deep-sea brothers, and both were true explorers who did extraordinary things and went places no human being has been," Cameron said in a statement. "They died doing exactly what they loved most, heading out to sea on a new and personally challenging expedition, having fun in the way they defined it for themselves, which was hardship and toil to achieve something never done before. Their deaths are a tremendous loss for the world of underwater exploration, conservation and filmmaking."

Wight, an Australian, was a producing partner of Cameron's, working with the famed director on underwater documentaries "Ghosts of the Abyss," "Aliens of the Deep," "Expedition: Bismarck" and "Last Mysteries of the Titanic."

The American-born DeGruy was an Emmy award-winning filmmaker who directed undersea photography for "Last Mysteries of the Titanic," and produced and hosted projects such as "Blue Planet."