A French politician who was one of the richest people in the world was killed in a helicopter crash in northwestern France, authorities said.
Olivier Dassault, the 69-year-old heir to the family-owned Dassault Group, which makes Falcon private jets and Rafale fighter jets, along with a pilot, died on Sunday when an Airbus AS350 helicopter crashed just after taking off from a private airport in the city. from Touques in Normandy, authorities said.
Investigators were on a trip to the site Monday, and an inquest into possible allegations of manslaughter was underway, the Associated Press reported, citing the regional prosecutor’s office.
Dassault, a Conservative who had served in the lower house of France since 2002, was in Forbes magazine’s list of the 500 richest people in 2020. He was ranked 335th at the time. Dassault’s net worth was $ 7.2 billion Monday, Forbes reported.
Dassault, one of four children who inherited his father’s fortune in 2018, was the strategy and development chairman of the family-run space and software company. Dassault’s grandfather, Marcel, founded Dassault Aviation, which began producing propellers in the First World War.
The family empire also includes one of the country’s oldest dailies, Le Figaro, vineyards, and a private aviation company, according to Forbes.
The cause of the crash, which occurred near where the tycoon had a vacation home, was not immediately clear, the Guardian reported.
President Emmanuel Macron said Dassault’s tragic death was a “great loss” to France.
“Olivier Dassault loved France,” Macron tweeted“As a business leader, member of parliament, city councilor, air force reserve commander, he never stopped serving our country all his life, promoting what was great about it. His brutal death is a great loss. Our thoughts go out to his family and his friends. “
With pole wires