Who was Petr Kellner and what was his cause of death?
CZECH Republic's richest man Petr Kellner has been killed in a helicopter crash while heliskiing in Alaska.
The crash where Kellner died along with four others, took place on March 27, 2021, 50 miles east of Anchorage.
Who was Petr Kellner?
Billionaire 56-year-old Kellner was Czech Republic's richest man and founder of the PPF Group.
He was ranked at No68 on the Forbes World's Billionaire's list with an estimated wealth of $17.5bn, having started in the early 1990s by selling office supplies.
He started an investment fund which he used to buy a controlling stake in the biggest Czech insurer during its privatisation.
The PPF Group was involved in insurance, finance, telecommunications, manufacturing, media or biotech in businesses mainly in Europe, Asia and the United States.
Petr was married twice, firstly to Iva Kellnerová, which ended in divorce, and secondly to Renata.
The couple have four children including show jumper Anna.
What was Petr Kellner's cause of death?
Kellner and his group had been on a heliskiing trip in Alaska.
The billionaire's death was announced by his financial group PPF.
PPF said in a statement: "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."
The National Transportation Safety Board has launched an investigation into the crash.
Officials said the Airbus AS350 B3 helicopter crashed under unknown circumstances about 50 miles east of Anchorage at 6.35pm on Saturday.
Authorities said the crash site was near Knik Glacier.
He was a friend of Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich and reportedly wanted to buy Chelsea football club from him in 2018.
Who else was killed in the helicopter crash?
According to the Alaska State Troopers, the five killed in the helicopter crash were identified as Gregory Harms, 52, of Colorado; Petr Kellner, 56, and Benjamin Larochaix, 50, both of the Czech Republic, and two Alaskans, Sean McMannany, 38, of Girdwood, and the pilot, Zachary Russel, 33, of Anchorage.
They added that another person onboard was in serious condition but stable on Sunday, March 28, 2021, at an Anchorage hospital.
Company spokesperson Mary Ann Pruitt said the five passengers included three guests and two guides from Tordrillo Mountain Lodge.
She said that Harms was a pioneering heli-ski guide in Alaska and worked for many years at the lodge He also founded a heli-ski company that led trips across the world.
McMannany had been a guide for over 10 years, and was with the lodge for the last five, she added.
He was also an avalanche instructor and an experienced mountain guide on Denali, North America’s tallest peak.
Kellner and Larochaix “were loyal and frequent” guests at the lodge, she said.
Russel was a pilot for Soloy Helicopters, a Wasilla-based company that is contracted by the lodge to provide transportation, Pruitt said.
A statement released by the lodge said: “This news is devastating to our staff, the community in which we operate and the families of the deceased.”