Very sad news this week out of Oregon:
Bart Colantuono, a pilot best known for his role in the History Channel's Ax Men, died in a helicopter accident near Detroit Lake on Monday. He was 54 years old.
According to Portland's KPTV, Colantuono was picking up a load of logs from the National Forest (en route to building a deck in Idanha, Oregon) when the crash took place.
Federal aviation investigators are looking into the cause of the incident, but witnesses say they heard logs fall to the group prior to the helicopter tumbling down, suggesting Colantuono released them because he was aware something was amiss.
Colantuono was the only passenger in the vehicle and was pronounced dead at the scene.
A native of Indialantic, Florida, Colantuono had over 15,000 hours as a pilot on his resume before this tragedy took place.
"We are extremely saddened to learn that a member of the Ax Men family, Bart Colantuono, passed away yesterday," a statement on the show's Facebook page reads.
"All of us at HISTORY and Original Productions, along with our Ax Men team, would like to extend our heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of Bart. He was an important part of Ax Men when he appeared in Season 2 & 3 and his talents will be greatly missed."
The Hollywood Gossip