John Walton, a billionaire heir of retail giant Wal-Mart, died when the home-built plane he was flying crashed in a national park in Wyoming, authorities said.
Mr Walton's plane crashed shortly after taking off from Jackson Hole Airport in Grand Teton National Park, the National Park Service said in a statement.
The cause of the accident was not immediately known.
"Walton, the pilot and sole occupant of the aircraft, died on impact and was later pronounced dead at the scene by Teton County coroner, Bob Campbell," the statement said.
A park spokeswoman said Mr Walton, 58, was an experienced pilot.
Mr Walton was the world's 11th richest person with a net worth exceeding $A23.4 billion, according to Forbes magazine.
Through Walton Enterprises, LLC, he and the rest of the Walton family owned about 40 per cent of Wal-Mart shares, according to Wal-Mart's regulatory filings.
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