The Missoula County Sheriff’s Office Ward was piloting a single-engine Cessna 182 when it crashed on approach to Rock Creek Airport.
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The star of TV’s Ice Road Truckers Darrel Ward has been killed in a plane crash – at the age of 52 – as he flew from Texas.
Ward – a father and grandfather who rose to fame on the reality show that chronicles the extreme and often risky lives of the truckers who haul cargo to remote communities – was on his way to Missoula, Mont., to begin filming a pilot for a documentary-style show about “the recovery of plane wrecks” when he was killed, the news release said.
The pilot, 56-year-old Mark Melotz, appeared to be attempting to land at a nearby airstrip when something went drastically wrong, according to Missoula County sheriff’s captain Bill Burt.
A statement on Darrell Ward’s Facebook page said he had been attending The Great American Truck Show in Dallas before flying to Montana.
Ward was told over the weekend that he had a part in season 11, which is due to begin filming next winter.
According to the press release, the National Transportation Safety Board will be investigating the incident. The plane crashed on the shoulder of I-90 near the eastbound lanes.
The plane went through some trees, witnesses said, hitting some of them as it did so.
He was known for often gave back to the community, having promoted the most recent food drive to help victims in the Louisiana Floods.
In his free time, Darrell enjoyed hunting, fishing, camping, dirt bike riding and all things outdoors.
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“His motto, “any road, any load” fits his personality perfectly,” the statement added.
