A French politician who was one of the richest people in the world has died in a helicopter crash in northwestern France, according to authorities.
Olivier Dassault, a 69-year-old heir to the Dassault family group that makes private Falcon and Rafale fighter jets, died Sunday along with a pilot when an Airbus AS350 helicopter crashed just after a takeoff from a field. private aviation from the city of Touques in Normandy, according to authorities.
Investigators were traveling to the site Monday and there was a judicial investigation into possible homicide charges, the Associated Press reported, citing the regional prosecutor’s office.
Dassault, a Conservative who had served in the lower house of the French parliament since 2002, was listed as one of the 500 richest people in Forbes magazine in 2020. At the time, he was tied for 335th place. Dassault’s net worth on Monday was trading at $ 7.2 billion, Forbes reported.
Dassault, one of four children who inherited his father’s fortune in 2018, was the strategy and development president of the family-controlled aerospace and software company. Dassault’s grandfather, Marcel, founded Dassault Aviation, which began producing propellers during World War I.
The family empire also includes one of the country’s oldest newspapers, Le Figaro, Vineyards and a private aviation company, according to Forbes.
The cause of the accident, which occurred near the site 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, deputy, local councilor, commander of the air force reserve, throughout his life he never stopped serving our country to promote what was good for him. His brutal death is a great loss. Our thoughts go out to his family and friends. ”
With publishing cables