Death knows no personality: Christophe de Margerie, C.E.O. of Total, French Oil Giant, Dies in Accident

The chief executive of the French oil company Total , Christophe de Margerie, one of the most powerful and colorful figures in the energy industry, was killed when his business jet collided with a snowplow late Monday night on the track of Vnukovo International Airport in Moscow.
Mr. de Margerie, a staunch defender of
Russia’s energy policies during the conflict over Ukraine, went to Moscow to attend a meeting of corporate executives with Prime Minister Dmitri A. Medvedev and was returning to Paris.

The collision occurred a few minutes before midnight as the executive’s Dassault Falcon was accelerating for takeoff, the airport said in a statement. Russian prosecutors said Tuesday that the driver of the snowplow was intoxicated. The jet’s three crew members also died, Total said.