Wigwe Copter Crash: US Report Blames Pilot Error, Safety Failures

The United States National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has revealed that spatial disorientation was responsible for the helicopter crash that killed Herbert Wigwe , the former CEO of Access Holdings.

Wigwe’s wife, Doreen; their first son, Chizi; former Group Chairman of Nigerian Exchange Group Plc (NGX Group), Abimbola Ogunbanjo, and three other pilots were also killed in the helicopter crash.

The NTSB’s final report, released on Wednesday, attributed the February 2024 helicopter crash to a combination of pilot disorientation and the helicopter company’s negligence.

It accused the company of “inadequate oversight of its safety management processes.”

A preliminary report earlier showed that the helicopter, registered as N130CZ, crashed while operating under visual flight rules in what ultimately became instrument meteorological conditions, requiring different flight protocols and instrumentation.

According to the report, investigators determined 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 crash, which occurred near the California-Nevada border on February 9, 2024, claimed the lives of all six people on board.

The US accident investigators further revealed that the helicopter company failed to ensure pilots correctly completed flight risk analyses, recorded maintenance issues, and followed required regulations 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.

Significantly, the investigation showed that the helicopter’s radar altimeter was non-functional before the fatal flight.

The report detailed that during an earlier flight, the pilot had texted the maintenance director about an issue with this critical instrument.

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 further found that after arriving to collect the charter passengers, the pilot and flight follower exchanged messages but “did not discuss the status of the radar altimeter or weather conditions.”