American Cinematographer and Australian Television Writer Killed in Helicopter Crash in Australia
Andrew Wight and Mike DeGruy, two filmmakers, have been killed in a helicopter crash in Australia. DeBruy was a cinematographer from the United States and Wight was a writer – producer for Australian television. The crash occurred on Saturday, but the identities of the victims that were on board were not released until Sunday. The helicopter crashed within minutes of taking off. The crash occurred near Nowra, which is about 100 miles north of Sydney. The helicopter was a Robinson R44. It seats four and this particular helicopter was seven years old. The accident is currently under investigation by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau.
Wight and DeGruy were the only passengers on the helicopter and according to ABC, Wight was the pilot. James Cameron, the director of the blockbuster movie, “Titanic,” along with National Geographic, confirmed the men’s identities. National Geographic was who the two men were working for when the crash occurred. Both Wight and DeGruy were considered two of the finest underwater documentary specialists in the world and Cameron said that the deep-sea community had sustained a great loss. The two men were flying off to a site for a new documentary when the crash occurred.
DeGruy was from Santa Barbara, California and he has won several Emmys for his cinematography. Wight was from Melbourne and was best known as the writer-producer for the film “Sanctum.” It was a 3D film was the biggest movie in 2010 in Australia. It took in over $100 million at the theaters. DeGruy had spent the last three decades directing and producing ocean documentaries. He was a submarine pilot and a very accomplished diver. DeGruy had spent hundreds of hours underneath the ocean’s surface. He directed the photography for “Last Mysteries of the Titantic,” which was a joint project between National Geographic and Cameron.
