The United States National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has concluded that pilot error due to spatial disorientation, coupled with systemic safety lapses by the operating company, led to the helicopter crash that claimed the lives of former Access Holdings CEO, Herbert Wigwe, his wife, son, and three others in February 2024.
The final report, released on Wednesday, cited the pilot’s decision to fly under Visual Flight Rules (VFR) into deteriorating weather conditions, which required Instrument Flight Rules (IFR), as the primary cause of the crash. The helicopter, identified as N130CZ, went down near the California-Nevada border on February 9, 2024.
According to the NTSB, the pilot likely suffered spatial disorientation after flying into instrument meteorological conditions (IMC), leading to a loss of control and a fatal impact with the terrain.
All six occupants onboard died in the crash. They include Wigwe, his wife Doreen, their son Chizi, and Abimbola Ogunbanjo, former group chairman of the Nigerian Exchange Group (NGX), alongside two others.
In addition to pilot error, the NTSB cited inadequate oversight by the helicopter operator, noting that the company failed to enforce proper pre-flight safety checks, risk assessments, and regulatory compliance.
The report further revealed that a critical safety instrument — the radar altimeter — was not functioning before takeoff. The pilot had reported the issue to the maintenance team via text before the flight, but despite failed attempts to fix the problem, the flight proceeded.
“A company mechanic attempted to troubleshoot the radar altimeter but was unable to resolve the issue,” the NTSB noted. “Both the pilot and the Director of Maintenance were aware the radar altimeter remained non-functional before departure.”
Even after picking up the charter passengers, the investigation found that there was no recorded communication between the pilot and flight operations team about either the faulty instrument or the worsening weather conditions.
The report underscores lapses in the company's safety management processes, concluding that both operational and human errors contributed to the deadly accident.
