The United States National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has concluded its investigation into the helicopter crash that claimed the lives of Herbert Wigwe, former Access Holdings CEO, his wife Doreen, their son Chizi, and former NGX Group chairman, Abimbola Ogunbanjo, revealing critical pilot and company failures.
In its final report, obtained by TheCable, the NTSB identified the key factor behind the February 9, 2024 crash as the pilot’s decision to continue flying under visual flight rules (VFR), despite deteriorating weather that required instrument navigation.
“The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) determines 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 report stated.
The helicopter, with registration number N130CZ, crashed near the California-Nevada border, killing all six individuals on board.
The report also pointed to failures in the helicopter company’s internal oversight. The NTSB said the operator failed to ensure pilots completed proper risk assessments and that maintenance problems were documented and resolved. Additionally, the aircraft reportedly did not meet federal aviation requirements before takeoff.
“Contributing to the accident was the company’s inadequate oversight of its safety management processes, including ensuring the pilots were accurately completing and updating the flight risk analysis, logging maintenance discrepancies, and ensuring the helicopter met Part 135 regulations before departure,” the agency added.
Further details revealed that the pilot had earlier flagged issues with the helicopter’s radar altimeter. He reportedly messaged the company’s director of maintenance about the malfunction but continued the flight even after the equipment remained unfixed.
“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 report noted. Despite this, the helicopter was flown to pick up passengers later that evening.
Text messages and phone records showed that the pilot and a company official, who also served as president, communicated after the aircraft landed to collect passengers—but they did not discuss the faulty radar system or worsening weather.
The crash, which stunned the Nigerian financial and business community, has raised serious concerns about aviation safety practices and accountability in chartered flight operations. The NTSB’s findings underscore the risks of neglecting flight regulations and safety protocols.
