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On the morning of Tuesday, June 27, Minnesota businessman Paul Ehlen was killed in an accident while flying a World War II-era plane in Western Montana. Ehlen, a longtime aviation enthusiast, was best known for founding Precision Lens, a distributor of ophthalmic surgical products.
The circumstances surrounding the accident will be investigated by The Federal Aviation Authority and the National Transport Safety Board.
Precision Lens Chief Financial Officer Bill Henneman addressed Ehlen's death in a public statement:
"Precision Lens is saddened by the passing earlier today of its founder Paul Ehlen. Paul had a passion for restoring and flying vintage military aircraft, and he was killed this morning when the single-engine P-40 he was flying back to Minneapolis suffered a mechanical failure on takeoff."
Paul Ehlen was declared dead at the scene of the accident. Yahoo reported that no one else was in the plane during the time of the crash.
All there is to know about Paul Ehlen in the wake of his death
Paul Ehlen first rose to prominence after founding Precision Lens in the 1990s. As noted by outlets such as Compliance Week, at time of his death, Ehlen and his company had recently been involved in a federal court case.
He was ordered to pay $487 million for allegedly bribing doctors so they would use Precision Lens products in cataract surgeries. A company spokesperson had expressed their intention to appeal the Judge's decision.
However, the Office of the District Attorney of Minnesota claimed:
"As proven at trial, the Defendants provided kickbacks to physicians in various forms, including travel and entertainment. The United States identified multiple examples of trips, including high-end skiing, fishing, golfing, hunting, sporting, and entertainment vacations, often at exclusive destinations."
Ehlen's company, Precision Lens, issued a statement regarding his death:
"Paul was an innovative and courageous man, and his entrepreneurial spirit and dedication to helping others will continue. Above all else, Paul was a family man, and our thoughts and prayers are with his wife and children whom he loved so dearly."
As reported by the Star Tribune, at the time of his death, Paul Ehlen was flying a World War II vintage P-40E registered with the Federal Aviation Administration. The crash occured at Ravalli County Airport at 8:07 am. Officials believe that Ehlen's P-40E experienced a mechanical failure either during or shortly after take-off.
Fox reported that the P-40E is a vintage aircraft best known for being used by Claire Chennault's Flying Tiger's Squadron in China between 1941 and 1942. Authorities have not disclosed the possibility of foul play in the accident.
