French MP and billionaire Olivier Dassault dies in helicopter crash
Olivier Dassault was an extremely accomplished pilot, graduate of the French Air Force academy and rated on many aircraft. I don't know for sure, but I would be very surprised if he was not rated on his own helicopter. Someone else I knew always flew his own turbine helicopter with with another pilot, basically two crew operations.
Alicopter beat me to it regarding ownership through Dolijet. But I would be surprised if he and I are thinking of the same person regarding always flying with another pilot, although the point about insurance is a good one. Tragic ending, but what an aviation life Dassault had. I cannot think of any other billionaires who were Air Force fighter pilots....role model for my next life! By the way some of the speculation and opinion passed off as gospel on this short thread has been up there with PPRune's best traditions.
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But is that not what abchelico would be offering? it seems that Dassault owned the machine through Dolijet and quite probably had it managed and chartered out through abc with an AOC. We will find out soon enough what licence the other pilot had and what the currency and experience of both occupants was. But the Leicester City owner's very public crash and the one taking off in the Bahamas at night are but two examples where having two pilots and an AOC did not make a difference.
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Ouest France posted an update with more details (translated)
The first elements of the investigation indicate that "the takeoff was atypical. There is no evidence yet to confirm that the helicopter was not in the same location as usual. But instead of taking off at 90 degrees, rising off the ground at a right angle, the helicopter instead took off at a 45-degree angle and struck the branch of a tree. One blade was sectioned and the occupants of the helicopter were ejected. "
A blade from the craft, which "was not recent", "hit a tree," the prosecutor also said.
...
The pilot, Jean-Claude Bedeau, was born on February 25, 1947 (74 years old) in Paris. “He had had a career as an airline pilot. "
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https://www.ouest-france.fr/normandi...ypique-7179059
The first elements of the investigation indicate that "the takeoff was atypical. There is no evidence yet to confirm that the helicopter was not in the same location as usual. But instead of taking off at 90 degrees, rising off the ground at a right angle, the helicopter instead took off at a 45-degree angle and struck the branch of a tree. One blade was sectioned and the occupants of the helicopter were ejected. "
A blade from the craft, which "was not recent", "hit a tree," the prosecutor also said.
...
The pilot, Jean-Claude Bedeau, was born on February 25, 1947 (74 years old) in Paris. “He had had a career as an airline pilot. "
-50%
https://www.ouest-france.fr/normandi...ypique-7179059
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We will find out soon enough what licence the other pilot had and what the currency and experience of both occupants was. But the Leicester City owner's very public crash and the one taking off in the Bahamas at night are but two examples where having two pilots and an AOC did not make a difference.
The 74 years old pilot was certainly not as current as a part CAT pilot.
(*)EDIT Yes it was according to AAIB preliminary report. At 0 speed and low height, no crew can do much when such a thing happens . Standard procedure does not work at low height/speed, and the failure has no reason to happen at a reasonable speed.
Last edited by 172510; 8th Mar 2021 at 16:33.
The 74 year old pilot (if confirmed) does suggest a private flight. My experience of this kind of operation was the owner (who was type rated) choosing to have a professional pilot along at all times. The professional pilot of course flew other charter operations single pilot. Appears to be a different case here. Two very experienced aviators down and a sad way to go.
There is quite a lot of (also unconfirmed) speculation in the French press which does indeed paint a somewhat different picture. Dassault had apparently acquired the helicopter quite recently and was said to be taking instruction from the other pilot, who was an ex Air France captain. The ground was wet, leading to the aircraft landing in a less than ideal position for the subsequent takeoff. Who was flying at the time of the takeoff is unclear and may be hard to ascertain. In any case the takeoff was reported to be unusual and different from previous departures with the blades then impacting a tree. Whether the late hour, and concerns about completing the flight by nightfall played a role were also considered. One view was that there were an unfortunate set of circumstances leading up to the crash.
There is quite a lot of (also unconfirmed) speculation in the French press which does indeed paint a somewhat different picture. Dassault had apparently acquired the helicopter quite recently and was said to be taking instruction from the other pilot, who was an ex Air France captain. The ground was wet, leading to the aircraft landing in a less than ideal position for the subsequent takeoff. Who was flying at the time of the takeoff is unclear and may be hard to ascertain. In any case the takeoff was reported to be unusual and different from previous departures with the blades then impacting a tree. Whether the late hour, and concerns about completing the flight by nightfall played a role were also considered. One view was that there were an unfortunate set of circumstances leading up to the crash.
Last edited by lederhosen; 8th Mar 2021 at 17:43.
Not a stranger on these pages.
Rumor mill has that they indeed landed (and departed) from an unusual spot as the ground was soaked.
Also the flight was probably illegal as there is a curfew in France at 1800. All VFR flights are to terminate before that.
Also the flight was probably illegal as there is a curfew in France at 1800. All VFR flights are to terminate before that.
Missed the part supporting the statement of “two very experienced aviators” in the context of a helicopter accident. Was this area “confined” - in the Canadian context of the word, not Texan, and if so what was their relevant experience in such an operation. Experience flying off a runway is irrelevant.
The France 3 article linked on the Aviation Safety Net page shows a map of the approximate crash location - on one side of the road is a large house with an oblong field surrounded by trees - the talk of taking off in an unusual direction may be lifting out of that area across the field instead of down it.
It wouldn't take much of a drift in that case to get too close to the trees either ahead or behind and a TR or MR strike could easily have disastrous consequences.
It wouldn't take much of a drift in that case to get too close to the trees either ahead or behind and a TR or MR strike could easily have disastrous consequences.
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There are seven ways to leave home legally
Art. 4.-I.-Tout déplacement de personne hors de son lieu de résidence est interdit entre 20 heures et 6 heures du matin à l'exception des déplacements pour les motifs suivants, (...)
« 1° Déplacements à destination ou en provenance :
« a) Du lieu d'exercice ou de recherche d'une activité professionnelle et déplacements professionnels ne pouvant être différés ;
« b) Des établissements ou services d'accueil de mineurs, d'enseignement ou de formation pour adultes mentionnés aux articles 32 à 35 du présent décret ;
« c) Du lieu d'organisation d'un examen ou d'un concours ;
« 2° Déplacements pour des consultations, examens et soins ne pouvant être assurés à distance et ne pouvant être différés ou pour l'achat de produits de santé ;
« 3° Déplacements pour motif familial impérieux, pour l'assistance aux personnes vulnérables ou précaires ou pour la garde d'enfants ;
« 4° Déplacements des personnes en situation de handicap et, le cas échéant, de leur accompagnant ;
« 5° Déplacements pour répondre à une convocation judiciaire ou administrative ;
« 6° Déplacements pour participer à des missions d'intérêt général sur demande de l'autorité administrative ;
« 7° Déplacements liés à des transferts ou transits vers ou depuis des gares ou aéroports dans le cadre de déplacements de longue distance ;
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This is why I don't look at pprune any more.
So many armchair experts. You were not in the aircraft, you do not have any idea what was going on, wild guesses as to what the dynamic was between the pilot and owner are just bull****.
All of this does nothing to help. let investigators do their jobs, they know what they are doing and all of this speculation does nothing for the families of those killed.
So many armchair experts. You were not in the aircraft, you do not have any idea what was going on, wild guesses as to what the dynamic was between the pilot and owner are just bull****.
All of this does nothing to help. let investigators do their jobs, they know what they are doing and all of this speculation does nothing for the families of those killed.
This is why I don't look at pprune any more.
So many armchair experts. You were not in the aircraft, you do not have any idea what was going on, wild guesses as to what the dynamic was between the pilot and owner are just bull****.
All of this does nothing to help. let investigators do their jobs, they know what they are doing and all of this speculation does nothing for the families of those killed.
So many armchair experts. You were not in the aircraft, you do not have any idea what was going on, wild guesses as to what the dynamic was between the pilot and owner are just bull****.
All of this does nothing to help. let investigators do their jobs, they know what they are doing and all of this speculation does nothing for the families of those killed.
If this is the reason you no longer look at PPRuNe it maybe time to hang up your boots and delete your profile....Agreed some ‘rumours and speculation’ on this site often are full of BS but when you look through that you will see the many many discussions that are extremely beneficial for many users on this site.
Maybe time for you to sit back in your armchair and read a good novel... hopefully nothing to do with aviation!!!!
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Ouest France (Touques)
10/03/2021
Translated https://translate.google.com/
Death of Olivier Dassault near Deauville. The helicopter, "broken in two", was evacuated
.... snip
At the crash site, the helicopter, which struck a tree on takeoff and "was snapped in half with the tail on one side and the cockpit on the other," was removed on Tuesday (March 9). "The debris were evacuated and transported to the Bureau of Investigation and Analysis (BEA) at Le Bourget," said Procurator Delphine Mienniel.
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https://www.ouest-france.fr/normandi...lisees-7181407
BEA Twitter link (with pictures)
RIP 2
10/03/2021
Translated https://translate.google.com/
Death of Olivier Dassault near Deauville. The helicopter, "broken in two", was evacuated
.... snip
At the crash site, the helicopter, which struck a tree on takeoff and "was snapped in half with the tail on one side and the cockpit on the other," was removed on Tuesday (March 9). "The debris were evacuated and transported to the Bureau of Investigation and Analysis (BEA) at Le Bourget," said Procurator Delphine Mienniel.
-50%
https://www.ouest-france.fr/normandi...lisees-7181407
BEA Twitter link (with pictures)
RIP 2
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