Why Wigwe’s Helicopter Crashed, By US Transport Board Herbert-Wigwe
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, his wife Doreen, their son Chizi, and Abimbola Ogunbanjo, former Group Chairman of Nigerian Exchange Group Plc (NGX Group) with two others.
According to the report, the accident was primarily caused by the pilot’s decision to continue flying under Visual Flight Rules (VFR) despite encountering Instrument Meteorological Conditions (IMC), which resulted in spatial disorientation and loss of control of the helicopter, registered N130CZ.
“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,” the NTSB stated.
The report explained that spatial disorientation, which occurs when a pilot’s sense of direction is compromised due to poor visibility, played a critical role in the crash near the Nevada-California border. “The pilot was likely affected by spatial disorientation,” the report noted, emphasizing that the inability to properly navigate in such conditions proved fatal.
The NTSB also highlighted severe lapses in the helicopter company’s safety and oversight practices.
It noted that the company failed to enforce standard safety protocols, including properly documenting and updating flight risk assessments and addressing maintenance issues.
“Contributing factors include the company’s inadequate oversight of safety management, failure to ensure proper documentation, and the non-functioning radar altimeter,” the report said.
According to the findings, the pilot had earlier communicated with the company’s Director of Maintenance (DOM) about a malfunctioning radar altimeter.
Although troubleshooting was attempted after the aircraft returned to the operations base, the issue remained unresolved.
“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 NTSB reported.
Despite being aware of the issue, the pilot and DOM allowed the helicopter to depart for a positioning flight to pick up passengers.
The report added: “The mechanic reported that the pilot and the DOM were aware that the radar altimeter was not functioning, yet they departed at 1822 on the positioning flight.”
After landing to collect the passengers, the pilot engaged in a phone conversation and text exchange with the company’s flight follower — who also served as the company president — but neither the faulty altimeter nor the prevailing weather conditions were discussed.
“After arrival, the pilot and flight follower had a phone conversation and exchanged text messages, but they did not discuss the status of the radar altimeter or weather conditions,” the NTSB concluded.
SOURCE: NATION
