The United States National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has concluded that the helicopter crash which claimed the life of former Access Holdings CEO Herbert Wigwe was caused by pilot error and inadequate safety oversight by the operator.
The final report, released by the NTSB, attributed the February 9, 2024 crash near the California-Nevada border to the pilot’s spatial disorientation after flying into adverse weather conditions under visual flight rules (VFR), which were unsuitable given the actual instrument meteorological conditions (IMC).
Mr Wigwe, his wife Doreen, their son Chizi, and Abimbola Ogunbanjo, former Group Chairman of the Nigerian Exchange Group, were among six people killed when the helicopter, registered as N130CZ, went down during a nighttime flight.
“The probable cause of this accident,” the report stated, “was the pilot’s decision to continue the VFR flight into IMC, which resulted in spatial disorientation and loss of control.”
Safety protocols.
In a scathing assessment, the NTSB also criticised the helicopter company for failing to enforce basic safety protocols. The operator was found to have overlooked key maintenance issues and allowed the pilot to proceed despite unresolved faults, including a non-functional radar altimeter — a critical instrument for terrain awareness during low-visibility flights.
Records showed that prior to the crash, the pilot had alerted a company mechanic about the radar altimeter fault. Although the issue was not resolved, the flight went ahead. The company’s Director of Maintenance (DOM) and the pilot were both aware of the malfunction, according to the report.
Moreover, investigators found no evidence that the pilot conducted a proper risk assessment or received adequate briefings on weather conditions before takeoff.
Regulatory non-compliance
NTSB investigators concluded that the combination of mechanical oversight, regulatory non-compliance, and poor decision-making led to the fatal crash. The board described the company’s safety management as inadequate, noting that it failed to ensure compliance with flight regulations and risk analysis procedures.
“The pilot likely experienced spatial disorientation while maneuvering in IMC, which led to loss of control and the collision with terrain,” the report added.
The crash sent shockwaves across Nigeria’s financial and business communities, where Mr Wigwe was widely regarded as a transformative leader.
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