MOSCOW: The chief executive of French oil giant Total, Christophe de Margerie, died in a plane crash at a Moscow airport late on Monday when the private jet he was using struck a snowplough on takeoff.

Russian investigators said the driver of the snow-clearing machine was drunk and that his actions, along with “an error by air traffic controllers”, appeared to be to blame for the crash.

Total, Europe’s third largest oil company, confirmed the death of its 63-year-old boss known affectionately as the “Big Moustache” because of his distinctive facial hair and said its board would call an emergency meeting.

The group’s stocks slid two per cent at start of trading on Tuesday, but then quickly recovered.

While admired by the industry for expanding Total’s activities around the world, he was also often in controversy for helming Total when it was embroiled in judicial woes including the UN “oil-for-food” scandal.

French President Francois Hollande said he learnt of De Margerie’s death with “shock and sadness” while Prime Minister Manuel Valls said France had lost “a great captain of industry and a patriot”.

Condolences and tributes poured in from other political leaders. Russian President Vladimir Putin described De Margerie as “a true friend of our country, whom we will remember with the greatest warmth”.

Just hours before the crash, De Margerie had met Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev at his country residence outside Moscow to discuss foreign investment in Russia.

Published in Dawn, October 22nd, 2014