The US National Transportation Safety Board blamed the helicopter disaster that killed former Access Holdings CEO Herbert Wigwe, his wife, son, and three others on a pilot mistake induced by spatial disorientation.
The NTSB investigation, which was released on Wednesday, also accused the helicopter firm of “inadequate oversight of its safety management processes”.
This was revealed in the NTSB final report that investigated the causes of the helicopter crash in February 2024.
A preliminary study had previously revealed that the helicopter, registered as N130CZ, crashed while operating under visual flight rules in what eventually became instrument meteorological circumstances, necessitating alternative flight protocols and instrumentation.
According to the report, the investigators found 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 catastrophe, which occurred near the California-Nevada border on February 9, 2024, claimed the lives of all six passengers on board, including Wigwe, his wife Doreen Wigwe, their son Chizi, and Abimbola Ogunbanjo, former group chairman of Nigerian Exchange Group Plc.
The US crash investigators also determined that the helicopter company failed to ensure pilots correctly performed flight risk analyses, noted mechanical issues, and followed applicable procedures before departure.
“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 report stated.
The inquiry revealed that the helicopter’s radar altimeter was malfunctioning prior to the deadly trip. The pilot had previously reported the issue to the maintenance director via text message.
The report stated, “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 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 investigation also discovered that after arriving to collect the charter passengers, the pilot and flight follower exchanged communications but “did not discuss the status of the radar altimeter or the weather conditions.”
