One of the three people killed in a Los Angeles County helicopter crash on Sunday was Army Special Forces veteran Michael Donatelli.
The 45-year-old Indiana, Pennsylvania native had served four tours of duty in Iraq as a member of the Army's elite Delta Force, according to a biography posted on the website of the company he started, AMJ Security and Vehicle Training.
William Donatelli spoke about his late son to Pittsburgh television station KDKA. He said Michael was excited about taking part in a new Discovery Channel reality program.
It was during filming of that program, as Home Post reported yesterday, that Donatelli lost his life. His helicopter crashed early Sunday morning in rural Los Angeles County - killing Donatelli, along with David Gibbs, 59, and Darren Rydstrom, 45.
The Western Pennsylvania newspaper Tribune-Review reports Donatelli is survived by his wife, Grisel; five children that range in age from 3 to 21; and one grandchild.
