The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has released its final report on the helicopter crash that killed Herbert Wigwe, former group chief executive officer of Access Holdings Plc, along with his family and others. According to the report, the crash, which claimed the lives of Wigwe, his wife, Doreen; their first son, Chizi; and Abimbola Ogunbanjo, the former group chairman of Nigerian Exchange Group Plc (NGX Group), has been attributed to a combination of pilot disorientation and the helicopter company’s negligence.
The incident, which occurred on February 9, 2024, near the Nevada border in California, resulted in the death of all six passengers aboard the helicopter registered N130CZ. The NTSB’s report found that the primary cause of the crash was the pilot’s decision to continue the flight under visual flight rules (VFR) despite encountering instrument meteorological conditions (IMC). The report stated that this decision led to the pilot becoming spatially disoriented and ultimately losing control of the aircraft, which crashed into the terrain.
According to the NTSB, the pilot was likely affected by spatial disorientation, which occurs when the pilot’s sense of direction is compromised due to limited visibility, commonly resulting in a loss of control. The report emphasized that the pilot’s inability to navigate effectively in these conditions was a significant factor in the fatal accident.
In addition to the pilot’s decision, the report also cited severe deficiencies in the company’s oversight and safety management processes. The NTSB found that the helicopter company failed to ensure pilots followed essential safety procedures, including the accurate completion and updating of flight risk assessments and the proper logging of maintenance discrepancies.
Further details from the report revealed that during the flight, the pilot had communicated with the company’s Director of Maintenance (DOM) about an issue with the radar altimeter, which remained non-functional despite attempts to fix it. The NTSB also revealed that after arriving at the airport to pick up the passengers, the pilot and a company flight follower engaged in a phone conversation but failed to discuss the status of the radar altimeter or the current weather conditions, both of which could have impacted the flight’s safety.
The report said: “The probable cause of this accident was the pilot’s decision to continue the flight into IMC, which led to spatial disorientation and the loss of control of the aircraft. Contributing factors include the company’s inadequate oversight of safety management, failure to ensure proper documentation, and the non-functioning radar altimeter.” The report went on to detail the pilot’s communication with the DOM and the company flight follower regarding the radar altimeter issue, highlighting that despite knowing about the issue, the pilot still decided to depart with the passengers.
