French Billionaire Olivier Dassault Dies in Helicopter Crash

French President Emmanuel Macron said on Twitter that billionaire conservative politician Olivier Dassault died on Sunday in a helicopter crash.

Dassault, 69, was the eldest son of French billionaire industrialist Serge Dassault, whose group manufactures Rafale warplanes and owns Le Figaro.

A police source said that the billionaire's private helicopter crashed on Sunday afternoon in Normandy, near his vacation home.

The Bureau of Investigation and Analysis for Civil Aviation Safety said in a tweet that the aircraft, an Aerospatiale AS350 Squirrel, had crashed 'on takeoff', carried out 'from private property'.

[caption id="attachment_219833" align="aligncenter" width="976"] Police and investigators sealed off the scene of the crash March 7, 2021. Photo by Sameer Al-DOUMY / AFP[/caption]

He resigned from his position on the Dassault Board of Directors due to his political role to avoid any conflicts of interest.

Dassault , who is a qualified pilot, managed to set a speed record in a Dassault Falcon 50 flying from New York to Paris in 1977.

In 1996, there were similar successes, including a speed record from Paris to Abu Dhabi in a Falcon 900 EX.

[caption id="attachment_219828" align="aligncenter" width="767"] Olivier Dassault attends a government session in Paris December 16, 2008. REUTERS/Charles Platiau[/caption]

According to Forbes' Rich List 2020, Dassault, a Conservative lawmaker, is considered to be the 361 Richest in the World, alongside his two brothers and sister.

"Olivier Dassault loved France. Industry leader, legislator, elected official, and reserve commander in the Air Force. During his life, he never stopped serving our country. His sudden death is a great loss," Macron added on Twitter.

https://twitter.com/EmmanuelMacron/status/1368625180562624516?s=20

"I am deeply saddened by the news of the sudden disappearance of Olivier Dassault. A businessman, but also a renowned photographer, he had a passion for politics in his blood, rooted in his department of Oise," said President of the Paris region Valerie Pecreis.

[caption id="attachment_219852" align="aligncenter" width="2046"] French police and rescuers arrive at the scene of a helicopter crash March 7, 2021. Photo by Sameer Al-DOUMY / AFP[/caption]