- March 8, 2021, 9:06 AM
Olivier Dassault (front row, second from the left) pictured at the 2019 Paris Air Show alongside French President Emmanuel Macron (center) and Dassault Aviation CEO Eric Trappier (second from the right). (Photo: Dassault Aviation/X Bejot)
Olivier Dassault, 69, a prominent French politician and Dassault Aviation board member, was killed in a helicopter crash on Sunday afternoon. French accident investigation agency BEA confirmed that an Airbus AS350B single crashed soon after takeoff from “private grounds” at Touques on the Normandy coast, close to where Dassault reportedly has a home.
According to police reports in various French media outlets, the pilot, who has not yet been named, was also killed in the accident that occurred at 5:50 p.m. local time. Local prosecutors have formally launched an involuntary manslaughter investigation.