Newspaper report:
Rather a sad day for aviation.
Two fatalities :(
Not just two fatalities.
The passenger was Olivier Dassault, 69, grandson of Marcel Dassault and son of Serge Dassault.
He was a pilot, member of the Dassault board, more-or-less head of Le Figaro newspaper, hunter, photographer, you name it.
It is kind of national mourn in the aviation community 
May his soul be welcomed in Heaven, now or soon.
It’s quite an incredible family. Some of the stories could be right out of the TV show Succession (which is excellent btw). I met his dad once, not the easiest guy to grow under I’d imagine, and their relationship was sometimes played out in the press.
Who was flying the helo ?
A 74 yo professionnal pilot. I found his name in an article.
For those who didn’t know, Marcel was forced to design airplanes in his concentration camp. He came back and founded Dassault Aviation.
Incredible family indeed.
Olivier and his pilot were taking off from the property of a friend, located on the hills between Trouvillr and LFRG. Dassault’s Deauville house is in town (I know the place very well) and he used this property as his heliport.
In fact I spent time close to 2 of his properties, and my dad flew the helicopter that crashed many times. It is a small world.
It is kind of national mourn in the aviation community
I would say international. It’s hard to imagine any act more generous and supportive of General Aviation than the Dassault family’s gift of their SolidWorks design software to amateur aircraft engineers worldwide.
What a legacy of innovation and enthusiasm to have left.
