A Cessna 421 aircraft crashed in La-Bole, France, on June 19, resulting in the deaths of two individuals on board. Among the deceased is Claude Guilmo, a 69-year-old co-founder of the video game company Ubisoft.
Reports from local media, including FranceInfo and Ouest-France, indicate that the plane took off from Rennes and went down around 6:00 PM local time in a field near the La-Bole airfield. Firefighters from the Loire-Atlantique department arrived to find the aircraft engulfed in flames, which were spreading to the surrounding vegetation.
Frank Louvrie, the mayor of La-Bole, confirmed to reporters from Ici Loire Océan that the aircraft was a twin-engine Cessna 421, designed to accommodate eight passengers.
According to Ouest-France, Guilmo was the owner of the aircraft and was traveling to La-Bole for an aviation event featuring over a hundred aircraft. The second passenger has been reported as an instructor from Rennes.
In 1986, Guilmo, along with his four brothers, founded Ubisoft, which has become a major player in the video game industry, known for popular franchises such as Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry, Rayman, and Prince of Persia.
The crash of a Cessna 421 in La-Bole, France, resulted in the deaths of two individuals, including Claude Guilmo, co-founder of Ubisoft. The incident occurred shortly after the aircraft took off from Rennes, highlighting the risks associated with small aircraft travel.