Czech Republic's richest man dies in Alaska helicopter crash

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TheGreenGoblin
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Czech Republic's richest man dies in Alaska helicopter crash

#1 Post by TheGreenGoblin » Mon Mar 29, 2021 10:00 am

The Czech Republic’s richest man, Petr Kellner, has been killed in a helicopter crash in Alaska, his financial group PPF has said.

The 56-year-old billionaire and four others died in the crash, whose circumstances were being investigated.

“We announce with the deepest grief that, in a helicopter accident in Alaska mountains on Saturday, March 27, the founder and majority owner of the PPF group, Mr Petr Kellner, died tragically,” PPF said in a statement.

Kellner was a towering business figure of the Czech post-communist era, with his wealth estimated at $17.5bn, according to Forbes.

The Czech prime minister, Andrej Babiš, offered his condolences to the family. “Unbelievable tragedy. I am very sorry,” Babiš said on Twitter.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/202 ... g-ski-trip

A contracted helicopter carrying guides and guests from a lodge on a heli-skiing trip in Alaska’s backcountry crashed, killing the pilot and four others, including the Czech Republic's richest man.
The only other person onboard was in serious condition but stable Sunday at an Anchorage hospital, Alaska State Troopers said.

The five killed in the Saturday accident were identified as Petr Kellner, 56, and Benjamin Larochaix, 50, both of the Czech Republic; Gregory Harms, 52, of Colorado; and two Alaskans, Sean McMannany, 38, of Girdwood, and the pilot, Zachary Russel, 33, of Anchorage, troopers said Sunday.

The five passengers included three guests and two guides from Tordrillo Mountain Lodge, said company spokesperson Mary Ann Pruitt.

McMannany had been a guide for over 10 years, and was with the lodge for the last five, she said. He was also an avalanche instructor and an experienced mountain guide on Denali, North America's tallest peak.

Russel was a pilot for Soloy Helicopters, a Wasilla-based company that is contracted by the lodge to provide transportation, Pruitt said.
The crash site was near Knik Glacier northeast of Anchorage. The helicopter was an Airbus AS350B3 owned by Soloy Helicopters of Wasilla, Alaska, the troopers said.

The victims’ bodies were recovered Sunday by the Alaska Army National Guard and volunteers from the Alaska Mountain Rescue Group, the trooper said. The remains have been turned over to the state medical examiner, the troopers said. A temporary flight restriction imposed by the Federal Aviation Administration was lifted late Sunday.

The National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the crash, the troopers said.

Knik Glacier, in the northern Chugach Mountains, is a destination for sightseeing flights and, in summer, hiking and boating tours. The crash site is near the Knik River outflow of the 28-mile glacier, according to a map provided by the troopers.
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/helicopter-cr ... Yqz3jqAdna
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