A French politician who was one of the richest people in the world died in a helicopter crash in northwestern France, authorities said.
Olivier Dassault, the 69-year-old heir to the Dassault family group, which produces private Falcon and Rafale fighter jets, died Sunday with a pilot when an Airbus AS350 helicopter crashed just after taking off from a private airfield in the city. de Touques in Normandy, authorities said.
Investigators were on the scene on Monday and a judicial investigation into possible murder charges was underway, the Associated Press reported, citing the regional prosecutor’s office.
Dassault, a conservative who has worked in the lower house of parliament in France since 2002, was listed as one of Forbes magazine’s richest 500 people in 2020. He was tied at 335 at the time. Dassault’s net worth since Monday was listed at $ 7.2 billion, Forbes reported.
Dassault, one of four children who inherited his father’s fortune in 2018, was president of the family-controlled aerospace and software strategy and development company. Dassault’s grandfather, Marcel, founded Dassault Aviation, which began producing propellers in World War I.
The family empire also includes one of the country’s oldest daily newspapers, Le Figaro, vineyards and a private aeronautical company, according to Forbes.
The cause of the accident, which took place near the place where the tycoon had a holiday 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 posted on Twitter. “As a business leader, deputy, local councilor, reserve commander in the air force, throughout his life he has never stopped serving our country, to promote what has been great in this regard. His brutal death is a great loss. Our thoughts are with his family and friends. ”
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