winning American cinematographer Mike deGruy and Australian television writer-producer Andrew Wight have died in a helicopter crash in eastern Australia, their employer National Geographic said Sunday. Police said an Australian helicopter pilot and his American passenger died at the scene Saturday when they crashed soon after takeoff from an airstrip near Nowra, 97 miles (156 kilometers) north of Sydney. Police did not immediately release the victims' identities. National Geographic and director James Cameron confirmed the victims' identities in a joint statement that said “the deep-sea community lost two of its finest” with the deaths of the two underwater documentary specialists.
