The United States National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has attributed the February 2024 helicopter crash that claimed the life of former Access Holdings Plc Group Chief Executive Officer, Herbert Wigwe, to pilot error arising from spatial disorientation.
In its final report released this week, the NTSB identified the “pilot’s decision to continue visual flight rules (VFR) into instrument meteorological conditions (IMC)” as the primary cause of the crash. The report stated that this led to spatial disorientation and a subsequent loss of control of the aircraft.
The crash, which occurred on February 9 near the California-Nevada border, resulted in the deaths of all six people on board, including Wigwe, his wife Doreen, their son Chizi, and Abimbola Ogunbanjo, former Group Chairman of the Nigerian Exchange Group Plc.
The NTSB also criticized the helicopter operator for what it described as “inadequate oversight of its safety management processes.” It noted that the company failed to ensure pilots completed necessary flight risk assessments, addressed maintenance issues, and complied with pre-flight regulatory requirements.
The aircraft, a Eurocopter EC130 registered as N130CZ, was operating under visual flight rules at the time of the crash, despite deteriorating weather conditions that warranted a switch to instrument-based protocols.
The report underscores significant lapses in both decision-making by the pilot and systemic safety management by the operator.
