Plane crash kills Asda family billionaire

A BILLIONAIRE son of the founder of Wal-Mart died when his home-made plane crashed just after take-off.

John Walton, a board member of the world's biggest retailer which includes Asda, died at the scene.

He was piloting the experimental petrol-powered aircraft close to Jackson Hole airport in Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming.

The plane had wings wrapped in fabric similar to heavy-duty sail cloth. Mr Walton, 58, was an experienced pilot with a love of such lightweight aircraft.

His father Sam Walton created Wal-Mart and he was recently listed as 11th in the Forbes list of the world's richest people with £10bn. He shared equal ranking with his brother Jim, one place behind his brother Rob and just ahead of his sister Alice and mother Helen.

Wal-Mart, which bought the Asda chain of supermarkets in 1999, said employees across the world had been notified of the tragedy. The cause of yesterday's crash is not yet known, officials said. Joan Anzelmo, a spokeswoman for Grand Teton National Park, said she saw parts of the wreckage.

She added: 'I didn't realise what I was seeing at first. It was so lightweight it looked like a giant model aeroplane.' Ms Anzelmo said the Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board had been notified. Grand Teton rangers will conduct their own investigation.

Mr Walton was an army veteran who served with the Green Berets as a medic during the Vietnam War. He was awarded the Silver Star for saving the lives of several members of his unit while under fire.

He worked as a crop duster in the Seventies and also built boats. More recently he formed a holding company to oversee various business interests. Mr Walton, of Jackson, Wyoming, joined the board of Wal-Mart Stores Incorporated in 1992. He is survived by his wife Christy and son Luke.