French oil major Total CEO Christophe de Margerie was killed in his private jet when it collided with a snow plough while taking off from Moscow’s Vnukovo airport on Monday night, just minutes after midnight. Mr. De Margerie’s Dassault Falcon jet was taking off for Paris.

Three crew members also died with the 63-year-old CEO who had just attended a Russian government meeting on foreign investment in Gorki, near Moscow.

Russia’s Investigative Committee has launched an investigation into the accident. Visibility at the time was 350 meters (1,150 feet) and it was found that the driver of the snow plough had been drunk at the time of the accident.

His death leaves a gap in one of the biggest listed oil firms at a difficult time for the industry. Total is France’s second-largest listed company with a market value of 102 billion euros.

French President Francois Hollande, a personal friend of Mr. De Margerie, said he was “stunned and saddened” by the news.