The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has released its final report on the February 9, 2024 helicopter crash that killed Herbert Wigwe—former Group CEO of Access Holdings Plc—along with his wife Doreen, their son Chizi, and close family friend Abimbola Ogunbanjo, former chairman of the Nigerian Exchange Group. The crash also claimed the lives of two crew members.
According to the NTSB, the tragedy was primarily caused by pilot error and inadequate oversight by the helicopter operator. Investigators found that the pilot chose to continue flying under visual flight rules despite deteriorating weather, entering instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) that led to spatial disorientation and a loss of control.
The helicopter, a Eurocopter EC130 (tail number N130CZ), went down near the California-Nevada border. The report noted that the pilot “likely experienced spatial disorientation while maneuvering in IMC,” which ultimately caused the fatal crash.
Contributing to the incident was the operator’s failure to enforce key safety protocols. The NTSB highlighted that the company did not ensure pilots properly completed flight risk assessments, reported maintenance issues, or followed Part 135 regulations.
One critical safety lapse involved a malfunctioning radar altimeter. The pilot had reported the issue via text to the company’s Director of Maintenance and discussed it with the company president—who also served as the flight operations coordinator. A mechanic attempted to fix the issue but was unsuccessful, and the helicopter flew without a working radar altimeter.
Despite knowing the altimeter remained inoperative, the pilot proceeded with the positioning flight and later picked up the passengers without further discussions about weather or equipment concerns. About 40 minutes later, the helicopter crashed.
The NTSB concluded that poor decision-making in adverse weather, combined with systemic oversight failures, led to the tragic outcome.
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