With a certain discretion, Olivier Dassault had become familiar with Deauville and its surroundings.
The deputy for Oise tragically lost his life there, this Sunday, March 7 at age 69, in the crash of his helicopter.
Its pilot, Jean-Claude Bedeau, 74, also perished in this accident on the heights of Touques, just after takeoff from private property.
It "was not rare", in the words of the prosecutor of Lisieux, Delphine Mienniel, that the son of Serge Dassault takes off or lands from the gardens of this manor.
The places belong to “a family established for a long time in Touques.
The owners and Mr. Dassault were very old friends, ”says Colette Nouvel-Rousselot, the mayor of this town bordering Deauville.
He joined the department by plane or helicopter
The former chairman of the supervisory board of the Dassault group had been visiting the Côte Fleurie for many years.
“At first he didn't have a home but came to the American Film Festival.
Then, five or six years ago, he acquired a property ”, indicates Philippe Augier, mayor of Deauville, upset by the disappearance of his friend.
Olivier Dassault's house is located on the border between Deauville and Tourgéville, nestled at the end of a dead end, in the middle of a district of pretty villas with fairly typical architecture of the Pays d'Auge.
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There, the chosen one "came to rest", we are told.
His Norman property, located not far from the seafront, had become a rear base that he joined regularly, often by air.
“When he came with several relatives, he could take his plane, testifies the mayor of Touques.
And in the event that he went alone here, or that the opening hours of Saint-Gatien-des-Bois airport (near Deauville) were more restrictive, he chose the helicopter ”.
The man at the controls of the aircraft during the tragedy, a former airline pilot, was also "Mr. Dassault's pilot in such circumstances", specifies the Lisieux prosecutor.
The craft did not take off in the normal way
Sunday, Olivier Dassault returned to Oise after his Calvados stopover over the weekend.
His wife was left behind.
The driver of the concierge who had taken care of him and his property for several years had just taken him to his friends' mansion in Touques.
“The owners weren't there.
Usually, the helicopter lands in the back of the garden.
This time, he landed closer to home, ”assures Colette Nouvel-Rousselot.
The mayor of Touques visited the scene shortly after the disaster.
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Around 6 pm, the machine made "an atypical takeoff", according to Delphine Mienniel.
Instead of rising in a straight line to avoid vegetation and habitation, it started sideways for some unexplained reason.
A rotor blade struck a branch, causing the crash, under the eyes of the son of the owners of the premises.
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The news of the deputy's death spread quickly, from Deauville to the highest levels of the State.
From 7:10 p.m., Emmanuel Macron greeted on Twitter the memory of a "Captain of industry, deputy, local elected, reserve commander in the air force, who never ceased to serve our country".
