‘Ax Men’: Pilot William Bart Colantuono from season 3 dead after helicopter accident

Sad news for those of you who following History’s series “Ax Men” with some regularity: One of the popular characters to have surfaced on the show over the years has died, as a result in part of the dangers that come along with the job.

Sources have confirmed that William Bart Colantuono, otherwise known as the helicopter pilot who would often retrieve some of the larger logs on the third season of the show, died while operating his vehicle of choice over an Oregon forest this week. He was 54 years old. For the time being, there is no explanation as to what happened to cause Colantuono’s helicopter to crash down from the sky, but an investigation into the matter is ongoing.

This sort of news is tragic, and it also goes along with some of what happens to many people who appear on these dangerous reality shows. Many of them realize that they are involved in a dangerous business where terrible things can happen to you at any given moment, and while being on TV may provide a little bit of income, it’s all supplemental. When the cameras are not rolling, these people all have to go back to their jobs. This is especially true for the deceased in this case, who was not one of the show’s more-familiar stars and was known mostly for his helicopter tours in to retrieve wood.

This is far from the only tragedy involving someone from reality TV while doing their job, as we previous saw a cast members from the hit show “Swamp People” also pass away following a different sort of tragedy.

As this news is breaking, we will have more as it becomes available.

Photo: History