US TRANSPORT BOARD REVEALS CAUSE OF WIGWE’S HELICOPTER CRASH
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The United States National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has identified pilot error, specifically spatial disorientation, as the cause of the helicopter crash that claimed the lives of former Access Holdings CEO, Herbert Wigwe, his wife, son, and three others.
In its final report released on Wednesday, the NTSB also faulted the helicopter operator for “inadequate oversight of its safety management processes.”
The report detailed that the aircraft, identified as N130CZ, crashed in February 2024 while flying under visual flight rules (VFR) despite entering instrument meteorological conditions (IMC), which require more advanced navigation procedures.
The report concluded that the “probable cause of this accident to be: the pilot’s decision to continue the visual flight rules flight into instrument meteorological conditions, which resulted in the pilot’s spatial disorientation and loss of control.”
The tragic crash occurred on February 9, 2024, near the California-Nevada border, claiming the lives of all six people on board — including Herbert Wigwe, his wife Doreen, their son Chizi, and Abimbola Ogunbanjo, former Group Chairman of Nigerian Exchange Group Plc.
U.S. investigators also faulted the helicopter company for failing to ensure that pilots completed proper flight risk assessments, documented maintenance issues, and complied with necessary pre-flight regulations.
“The pilot likely experienced spatial disorientation while maneuvering the helicopter in IMC [instrument meteorological conditions], which led to his loss of helicopter control and the resulting collision with terrain,” the report stated.
Significantly, the investigation showed that the helicopter’s radar altimeter was non-functional before the fatal flight.
The report detailed that during an earlier flight, the pilot had texted the maintenance director about an issue with this critical instrument.
The 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.”
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