Three die in helicopter crash during shoot for Discovery Channel reality TV show

Pilot David Gibbs, 59, cinematographer Darren Rydstrom, 46, and former Special Forces officer Michael Donatelli, 45, perished in the crash

Authorities continue to investigate what led to the deadly crash



Tragic: Cinematographer Darren Rydstrom, 46, was one of the victims of the helicopter crash

Three people who died in a helicopter crash early on Sunday morning near Los Angeles were filming for a military-themed reality television show for the Discovery Channel, it has emerged.

Pilot David Gibbs, 59, and passengers Michael Donatelli, 45, and Darren Rydstrom, 46, all perished when their helicopter crashed at 3.40 a.m. on Sunday at the Polsa Rosa Ranch near Acton in Los Angeles County, California. The ranch is often used for filming.



The Bell 206 Jet Ranger helicopter hit the ground 'under unknown circumstances,' Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Allen Kenitzer said, who added that an investigation is ongoing.

The crash came during the filming of an untitled military-themed show for the Discovery Channel.



'A production company was shooting a show for Discovery Channel when this tragic accident occurred,' Discovery said in a statement .

'We are all cooperating fully with authorities. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families.'

Rydstrom, from Whittier, was a cinematographer who worked on music videos for Tom Petty, Johnny Cash and Jenni Rivera, who herself died in a plane crash in December.

His extensive resume also notes work on commercials, documentaries and live music concerts, as well as on television shows for VH1, MTV, the Food Network and NBC, among others.

Destroyed: This is the wreckage of the helicopter that crashed early Sunday and killed three people during a reality TV shoot

Donatelli, originally from Indiana, Pennsylvania, was a former Special Forces soldier and completed four tours in Iraq, where he was a member of the U.S. Army's Delta Force, according to social networking sites and an online bio .

In between stints in the forces, he served as a Washington D.C. police officer for five years. He had returned home to Indiana, where he ran a vehicle training company and coached boxing.

Gibbs worked as a helicopter pilot on series including The Amazing Race, and films including The Jackal, Jackass 3D and The Lost World: Jurassic Park, according to his IMBd page.

The Discovery Channel show's production company, Eyeworks USA, had a permit from FilmLA to fly the copter from 5 p.m. Saturday to 7 a.m. Sunday, according to the Los Angeles Times .



A spokesman said FilmLA did not have a monitor on set, but an LA County Fire Department adviser was present.

Remote: The crash occurred on a large ranch about 35 miles northeast of Los Angeles, just outside Angeles National Forest

Massive: The crash occurred on Polsa Rosa Ranch, a sprawling 700 acre tract of land that is popular with film crews hoping to depict rugged, wild landscape

The Los Angeles Film Commission confirmed that a production company had filed permits to shoot a TV reality show on the ranch, according to KCAL-TV .



TV news footage showed mangled wreckage in a rugged canyon area near Soledad Canyon Road. The helicopter was almost entirely destroyed in the accident.