“I’d take any other type of pain if he could just land today,” Jim’s daughter, Ariel, wrote on Instagram
Jim Tweto, 68, died June 16 in a small plane crash near the town of Shatoolik, Alaska.
Entertainment Weekly reports that Jim was seen taking off in his Cessna 180 on Friday morning, and it purportedly crashed soon after. Both he and the other passenger, hunting and fishing guide Shane Reynolds, did not survive. Alaskan state troopers recovered both bodies.
Jim previously appeared on Discovery Channel’s Flying Wild Alaska — a documentary series about his family-run airline, Era Alaska, which transported goods to remote areas of the Bering Sea coastline. The family was based in Unalakeet, Alaska, where they worked various roles in the operation. The show aired on Discovery for three seasons between 2011 and 2012.
Ariel, Jim’s second daughter, confirmed the news via Instagram.
“I didn’t think anything could hurt this bad,” she wrote. “And I don’t know why I’m writing this but the news is out so I figured you hear it from me.”
“I’d take any other type of pain if he could just land today,” she continued. “My dad and a wonderful hunting guide and friend of our family passed away this afternoon in his 180. He died doing what he truly loved and is now with Uncle Ron up there soaring.”
“Please send love to both of them and my mom, sisters, and his wife and family.”
“I’m so sorry Ariel,” one Instagram user commented. “Such sad heartbreaking news. I always liked working for him and he treated me so good. I’ll never forget flying the 180 with him in St Mary’s. He let me keep my tailwheel current in it. He will be missed.”
“So sorry for your families [sic] loss as well as Shanes families [sic] loss,” another fan wrote. “After watching every episode of Flying Wild Alaska several times, it feels like my wife and I knew your family. As fellow pilots here in Iowa, we fell in love with the show and your family.”
“Jim inspired so many people and was an amazing aviator, father and husband,” they continued. “Blue skies and tailwinds Jim until I finally get to meet you in heaven one day.”
The cause of the crash is under investigation. A GoFundMe has been created for the family of Reynolds.
In an Instagram post on Father’s Day, Ariel wrote in part, “Happy Fathers Day dad. I know you’re with all of us right now,” alongside a carousel of photos of her father.