A French politician who was one of the richest people in the world has died 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, was killed along with a pilot on Sunday when an Airbus AS350 helicopter just after taking off from a private airport in the city crashed. of Touques in Normandy, authorities said.
Investigators traveled to the scene Monday and a forensic investigation into manslaughter was underway, the Associated Press reported, citing the local prosecutor.
Dassault, a Conservative who has served on the French parliament since 2002, was named one of the 500 richest people in Forbes magazine in 2020. He was 335th at the time. Dassault’s net worth as of Monday was at $ 7.2 billion, reports Forbes.
Dassault, one of the four children who inherited his father’s fortune in 2018, was the president of strategy and development of the family-run aviation and software business. Dassault’s grandfather, Marcel, founded Dassault Aviation, which began manufacturing screws during World War I.
According to Forbes, the family’s empire also includes one of the oldest dailies in the country, Le Figaro, vineyards and a private aviation business.
The cause of the crash, which occurred near the place 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” for France.
“Olivier Dassault loved France,” Macron tweeted. ‘As a business leader, MP, local councilor, a reserve commander in the air force, he never stopped serving our country all his life, to promote what was good about it. His cruel death is a great loss. Our thoughts go out to his family and friends. ”
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