One of Russia's richest women dies in plane crash
Natalia Fileva, a co-owner of Russia's largest private airline and one of the country's richest women, died in a plane crash in Germany on Sunday, according to the company.
Fileva was a major shareholder in S7, which began growing into a major carrier in the 1990s and is Russia's second-biggest airline after Aeroflot. "The circumstances of the tragedy aren't known yet," S7 said in a statement.
The single-engine Epic LT aircraft carrying Fileva, 55, went down while approaching the airport at Egelsbach, southwest of Frankfurt, according to S7. She was the wife of company chairman Vladislav Filev. Egelsbach is a small airfield often used by passengers seeking discretion.
According to Forbes, she has an estimated wealth of around $US600 million ($842 million).
"S7 Group team extends sincere and heartfelt condolences to Mrs. Fileva's family and loved ones," the company said in a statement. "The memory of her as an inspiring and sympathetic leader and a wonderful person will forever stay in the hearts of all S7 Group employees. It is an irreparable loss. "
Based at Moscow's Domodedovo Airport, S7 is part of the Oneworld alliance and flies to 150 destinations in 35 countries.
German media reported that three people were killed when the aircraft crashed into an asparagus field and caught fire. The plane was coming in from Cannes, France, with two passengers and a pilot aboard, according to Frankfurter Rundschau.
About eight minutes before impact, the pilot signed off with German air traffic control and began a visual final approach, which is a normal procedure, the newspaper quoted an aviation spokesman as saying.
Bloomberg, with AP