French billionaire and politician Olivier Dassault died in a helicopter crash in Normandy. The 69-year-old right-wing parliamentarian was the grandson of Marcel Dassault, who founded aircraft manufacturer Dassault Aviation.
French President Emmanuel Macron paid tribute to Dassault, tweeting that he “loved France”. “As a business leader, deputy, local councilor, commander of the Aeronautics reserve, throughout his life he never failed to serve our country, to disclose what was good about him. His brutal death is a great loss. Our thoughts go to your family and friends, ”wrote Macron.
The helicopter carrying Dassault crashed shortly after taking off from the coastal resort of Deauville, in Normandy, where the tycoon had a holiday home, around 6pm on Sunday. The cause of the accident, in which the pilot also died, was not immediately known.
The Dassault family has one of the largest family fortunes in France. Olivier Dassault was the oldest of Serge Dassault’s four children; he inherited his father’s property along with his two younger brothers and sister in 2018. He would have a personal fortune of around € 6 billion (£ 5.2 billion).
He was an enthusiastic photographer and had been an MP in the department of Oise, in northern France, with center-right Les Républicains (LR) since 2002.
Damien Abad, president of the LR group at the French National Assembly, said that Dassault was a man with “a big heart who was a big proponent of the industry”. “Your kindness and humanity will forever remain in our memory,” tweeted Abad.
The French air accident investigation office (BEA) reported that the aircraft, an Aérospatiale AS350 Écureuil, had crashed “on takeoff” from private ground. The BEA opened an investigation and said it was dispatching five investigators to the site.
French Justice Minister Éric Dupond-Moretti wrote on Twitter that he was “extremely sad” at the death. “The Republic has lost one of its great servants,” he said.