Czech leader mourns death of tycoon in copter crash

The Czech Republic’s richest man was among the five people killed on a heliskiing excursion when their chopper crashed near a glacier in Alaska, officials said.

Petr Kellner, whose net worth has been estimated at $17.5 billion by Forbes, was aboard the Airbus AS350 B3 helicopter when it went down near Knik Glacier on Saturday, the lodge that chartered the aircraft said.

“An unbelievable tragedy,” said Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis, who offered his condolences to the family.

Kellner, 56, was killed, along with another guest of the Tordrillo Mountain Lodge, Benjamin Larochaix, also of the Czech Republic; two of the lodge’s guides, Gregory Harms and Sean McManamy; and the helicopter’s pilot, Zach Russell, officials said.

One survivor was listed in serious but stable condition, according to the Alaska State Troopers, which said that the National Transportation Safety Board would conduct an investigation to determine what caused the crash.

The accident was the latest misadventure for an extreme sport with little margin for error that has become a magnet for thrill seekers. Flights to remote mountains, playgrounds of untouched powder, are known for their steep price tags and risk.

According to the lodge, which offers weekly packages of $15,000 per person for shared accommodations and heliskiing charters, Kellner was a frequent guest and friend of the resort.

“His professional life was known for his incredible work ethic and creativity, but his private life belonged to his family,” his investment company, PPF Group, said in a statement Monday.

Kellner, a father of four, made his first fortune in the 1990s after starting an investment fund, which he used to buy a controlling stake in the country’s largest insurance company. In October, he acquired a major European broadcast network, Central European Media Enterprises, for $1.1 billion. In a statement at the time, Kellner vowed that the network would retain its objectivity.

PPF Group has also donated millions of respirators and masks and thousands of virus testing kits to help the Czech Republic in the pandemic, the Czech news media reported.