Czech billionaire, 4 killed when helicopter crashes into Alaska mountain

The richest man in the Czech Republic is dead after a helicopter carrying guests on a heli-skiing excursion crashed into a mountain in Alaska, according to officials Monday.

Petr Kellner, 56, was among five killed in the accident Saturday evening. One man, 48-year-old David Horvath of the Czech Republic, survived, and was listed in serious condition, according to The Associated Press.

The other victims included one other Czech Republic citizen, two Alaska residents and a man from Colorado.  

Among the passengers were two staff members of the Tordrillo Mountain Lodge, a company spokesperson told the AP, where the rest were presumably staying.

“This news is devastating to our staff, the community in which we operate and the families of the deceased,” the lodge told the AP in a statement.

Kellner’s net worth was estimated around $17 billion, making him the 68th-richest billionaire on the Forbes billionaire list for 2020.

A statement on the website for the PPF Group, an investment firm Kellner founded, described “his incredible work ethic and creativity, but his private life belonged to his family.”