Vale’s CEO dies in kit-built aircraft crash
The CEO of Vale, the world's biggest iron ore company, was killed, along with his family and their pilot in the crash of his kit-built aircraft in Sao Paolo, Brazil. — Photo courtesy AVWeb
The CEO of Vale, the world's biggest iron ore company, was killed, along with his family and their pilot in the crash of his kit-built aircraft in Sao Paolo, Brazil on Saturday, March 19th. 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, according to reports posted on AVweb, an aviation news website.
The report also stated that 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.
An official company statement said, “It is with deepest sympathy that Vale has received news of the death of Roger Agnelli, 56, who was president and CEO of the company between July 2001 and May 2011. He died on Saturday, March 19th. The company and its employees extend their sympathies to the family and friends of the executive, who contributed so much to the development of our company.
During the 10 years that Roger presided over Vale, the company established itself as the largest global producer of iron ore and the second largest mining company in the world. It was during his tenure that Vale increased its global expansion strategy, which took Vale to new levels in the global mining market.
Vale has eight Canadian locations and some 7,000 full-time employees, Vale is a leader in base metals production and fertilizers in Canada.
