Billionaire’s family sues after his death in Alaska helicopter crash

The businessman died while on a heli-skiing vacation two years ago

The family of a Czech billionaire killed in a helicopter crash two years ago is suing the aircraft operator, claiming negligence may have led to the accident.

The heirs of Petr Kellner, who was killed in the crash along with four other people, have filed a lawsuit in Alaska and are seeking an investigation into the "potential negligence" which may have directly or indirectly caused the fatal incident, according to Bloomberg.

In the lawsuit, Mr Kellner's widow Renata Kellnerova names both the operator and the participants in the rescue mission as defendants.

The family — worth $12.4bn according to Bloomberg's Billionaires Index — said they wanted to wait to file a lawsuit until US authorities finished their investigation into the crash.

However, the investigation is still ongoing. The family moved to file the lawsuit before the two-year statute of limitations expired on 27 March.

The family owns nearly all — 98.9 per cent — of investment company PPF Group NV. Their assets total more than 40bn euros ($43.4bn) across industries that include financial services, telecom, media, biotech, real estate, and engineering.

Ms Kellernova is the company's largest shareholder with a 59.4 per cent stake.

The company's founder, Mr Kellner, died two years ago when an Airbus AS350 B3 helicopter crashed near the Knik Glacier in Alaska. The billionaire businessman was on a heli-skiing adventure at a remote lodge approximately 40-minutes flight time from Anchorage.

The Czech Republic’s richest man Petr Kellner was killed in a helicopter crash in Alaska on 27 March 2021, leaving five dead and one person injured, the Alaska State Troopers announced. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is investigating the cause of the crash. EPA/PPF GROUP HANDOUT HANDOUT EDITORIAL USE ONLY/NO SALES (EPA)

Benjamin Larochaix of France, two of the lodge’s guides, Gregory Harms and Sean McManamy, and the helicopter’s pilot, Zachary Russell, were also killed in the crash, according to the New York Times.

One person survived the crash.

Mr Kellner was reportedly a frequent guest of the luxury Tordrillo Mountain Lodge, which offered weekly ski packages for $15,000 per person at the time of the crash.

“This news is devastating to our staff, the community in which we operate and the families of the deceased,” the lodge said at the time. “In 17 years of operations, this is the first time we’ve had to face an event of this measure.”