US board releases final report on cause of crash that killed Access Bank CEO, wife, son

The helicopter crash that claimed the life of former Access Holdings CEO, Herbert Wigwe, along with his wife, son, and three others, was caused by pilot error stemming from spatial disorientation in poor weather conditions, according to the final report by the United States National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).

Released Wednesday, the NTSB report concluded that the pilot’s fatal decision to continue flying under visual flight rules (VFR) despite deteriorating weather conditions requiring instrument flight rules (IFR) led to the tragedy. The helicopter, identified as N130CZ, went down near the California-Nevada border on February 9, 2024.

According to the report, “The pilot likely experienced spatial disorientation while manoeuvring the helicopter in IMC \[instrument meteorological conditions], which led to his loss of helicopter control and the resulting collision with terrain.”

The crash resulted in the deaths of Wigwe, his wife Doreen, their son Chizi, former Nigerian Exchange Group Chairman Abimbola Ogunbanjo, and two crew members.

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The investigation also exposed critical lapses on the part of the helicopter operator, which the NTSB accused of “inadequate oversight of its safety management processes.”

Investigators found that the helicopter’s radar altimeter — a vital instrument for altitude awareness — was already non-functional before the final flight. “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 stated.

Despite being aware of the fault, the pilot and the director of maintenance proceeded with the positioning flight to pick up the passengers. “The mechanic reported that the pilot and the DOM \[director of maintenance] were aware that the radar altimeter was not functioning, yet they departed at 1822 on the positioning flight to pick up the passengers,” the NTSB noted.

Moreover, there was no recorded discussion between the pilot and the company’s flight follower regarding the faulty equipment or prevailing weather conditions after reaching the passengers.

The report emphasized that the company failed in enforcing proper pre-flight risk assessments, maintenance documentation, and adherence to regulatory procedures.

“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,” was ultimately determined to be the “probable cause of this accident,” the board concluded.

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