Darrell Ward, a star of the hit television series “Ice Road Truckers”, died in a plane crash in Montana on Sunday.
He and his co-pilot were the two victims in the crash, which went down near Rock Creek. Ward was 52-years-old. The news was announced in a Facebook post on Ward’s official page.
Ward was on his way Missoula where he was set to begin filming a new documentary, which ironically was to focus on recovering plane wrecks.
Most people knew Ward through the History Channel’s reality show, Ice Road Truckers, where he earned a reputation for driving in dangerous territory and for helping his rivals.
“Darrell just finished filming Season X earlier this year for the show and had just learned that he had a green light this past weekend for an additional season on the show originally slated to begin filming in the winter of 2017,” read the Facebook post.
The National Transportation Safety Board has begun investing the crash and will release information as it becomes available.
Ice Road Truckers has been on the air since 2007, and features drivers who operate trucks on seasonal routes crossing ice roads in northern Canada and Alaska. Some of the newest seasons are based on Manitoba’s winter roads.
Ward joined the show in season 6 when the the focus was on the NWT’s Dempster Highway, Manitoba, and the Dalton Highway in Alaska.
He was known for often gave back to the community, having promoted the most recent food drive to help victims in the Louisiana Floods. He was also scheduled to appear as the grand marshal for the Truck Convoy for Special Olympics in Nova Scotia.
