Stand up for the facts!
Our only agenda is to publish the truth so you can be an informed participant in democracy.
We need your help.
I would like to contribute
Filmmaker Mike deGruy died in a helicopter crash, not for “exposing the truth”
If Your Time is short
-
Mike deGruy, a nature filmmaker, died in a 2012 helicopter crash in Australia.
-
He did not discover deep-sea brine lakes, nor did he die because he filmed one.
-
No spin, just facts you can trust. Here's how we do it.
Did filmmaker Mike deGruy die for exposing hidden truths he found underwater? A viral Facebook video suggests so.
"This is why exposing the truth is scary!!" the text on an April 12 video read. In the next scene, a computer-generated voice says "people who expose the truth." After that, the post shows a clip of deGruy discussing his work filming underwater in the Gulf of Mexico for the BBC’s 2001 "Blue Planet" series.
The filmmaker discussed the wonders of an underwater brine lake he and his crew members saw and their difficulties filming it. The video then flashes text about deGruy's 2012 death in a helicopter crash and ends with the scene of a helicopter crash in a field.
The Facebook video was flagged as part of Meta’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram.)
But deGruy’s death is neither conspiratorial nor linked to his deep-sea filming of this brine lake. DeGruy died Feb. 4, 2012, in a helicopter crash in Australia 11 years after "Blue Planet" was released. DeGruy, 60, died alongside Australian filmmaker Andrew Wight, 52, who was piloting the helicopter. Both were collaborators with "Titanic" director James Cameron, and the trio shared a passion for undersea exploration.
Sign up for PolitiFact texts
Similar claims have been shared on TikTok and have drawn thousands of comments.
Featured Fact-check
The crash happened because the pilot’s door wasn’t properly closed before takeoff from an aerodrome, an Australian Transport Safety Bureau investigation found. "It says the pilot probably let go of the cyclic control while trying to close the door, causing the nose to pitch up, and the tail to hit the ground," the Australian Broadcasting Corp. reported.
DeGruy was not the first to discover brine lakes, pools of toxic, highly salty water caused by "the dissolution of buried salt deposits," according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The specific lake he filmed had been found several years before the documentary. Scientists have discovered brine lakes elsewhere, including the Red Sea and other parts of the Gulf of Mexico.
We rate the claim that Mike deGruy died for "exposing the truth" Pants on Fire!
Our Sources
Facebook post, Apr. 12, 2024
Australian Broadcasting Corp., Open door caused fatal chopper crash: ATSB, May 3, 2013
Australian Broadcasting Corp., NSW chopper victims were top filmmakers, Feb. 5, 2012
YouTube, BBC Earth - Discovering underwater lake ecosystems for Blue Planet II #OurBluePlanet, Jan 27, 2018
The Sydney Morning Herald, Filmmaker died trying to shut helicopter door before crash, May 4, 2013
iMDb, BBC - The Blue Planet, accessed Apr. 17, 2024
The Guardian, Film-makers Mike deGruy and Andrew Wight killed in helicopter smash, Feb. 5, 2012
DeepSea Challenge, Tribute to Andrew & Mike, accessed Apr. 17, 2024
YouTube, Tribute to Mike Degruy, Santa Barbara Maritime Museum, Feb. 1, 2023
Phys.org, Rare deep-sea brine pools discovered in Red Sea, Jul. 12, 2022
Frontiers in Marine Science, Discovery and chemical composition of the eastmost deep-sea anoxic brine pools in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea, Nov. 17, 2022
YouTube, Water lake at the deep sea bottom - by Mike deGruy BBC - As above, so below, Jan. 15, 2018
Science Alert, Scientists Have Found a Lake Under The Sea – Those Who Swim There Won't Come Back Alive, Feb. 9, 2018
The Temple News, Temple professor finds deep-sea brine pools, Nov. 15, 2016
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Lakes Within Oceans, accessed Apr. 17, 2024
TikTok post, Aug. 29, 2022
TikTok post, Sep. 4, 2023
Browse the Truth-O-Meter
More by Kwasi Gyamfi Asiedu
Filmmaker Mike deGruy died in a helicopter crash, not for “exposing the truth”
Support independent fact-checking.
Become a member!
In a world of wild talk and fake news, help us stand up for the facts.