A recent investigation by the United States National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has shed light on the devastating helicopter crash that claimed the lives of former Access Holdings CEO Herbert Wigwe, his wife Doreen, son Chizi, and former Nigerian Exchange Group chairman Abimbola Ogunbanjo.
According to the NTSB’s final report, the tragic accident was primarily attributed to the pilot’s decision to fly under visual flight rules (VFR) despite rapidly deteriorating weather conditions.
The report revealed that the aircraft, registered as N130CZ, inadvertently entered instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) near the California-Nevada border in February 2024. This led to the pilot’s spatial disorientation and subsequent loss of control, ultimately resulting in the fatal crash.
Further investigation exposed a critical issue with the helicopter’s radar altimeter, which was non-functional prior to the ill-fated flight.
Records showed that the pilot had been informed of this issue after a company mechanic attempted troubleshooting but couldn’t rectify the problem. Despite this, the pilot proceeded with the flight.
The NTSB report stated: “A company mechanic performed some troubleshooting on the radar altimeter; however, he was unable to rectify the issue, and the radar altimeter remained non-functional. The mechanic reported that the pilot and the DOM [director of maintenance] were aware that the radar altimeter was not functioning, yet they departed at 1822 on the positioning flight to pick up the passengers.”
“The investigation further found that after arriving to collect the charter passengers, the pilot and flight follower exchanged messages but did not discuss the status of the radar altimeter or weather conditions.”
PUNCH
