The CEO of the world’s biggest iron ore company was killed, along with his family and a hired pilot, in the crash of his kit-built aircraft in Sao Paolo, Brazil, on Saturday. Roger Agnelli, his wife, two grown children and their spouses died when their Comp Air 9 turboprop, which is a homebuilt aircraft in the U.S., hit two houses shortly after takeoff. The family was on its way to a wedding in Rio de Janeiro. Agnelli was considered one of the world’s top executives, having turned Vale, a money-losing state-owned mineral producer, into one of the most profitable in the world.
The Comp Air 9 is a strutless high-wing with a 1,000-horsepower Honeywell turboprop and seats for six passengers. It’s one of 10 composite, high-performance kit planes built by the Titusville, Florida, company. The airplane was registered to Agnelli personally but it’s not clear if he built it himself.
