United States officials have investigated the cause of a helicopter accident that resulted in the tragic death of Herbert Wigwe, the Group Chief Executive Officer of Access Holdings Plc.
During a press conference held on Saturday night (3 a.m. Nigerian time, Sunday), Michael Graham, a member of the National Transportation Safety Board, stated that initial findings indicate that the crash was influenced by wintry weather conditions. These conditions played a role in the unfortunate incident that claimed the life of Wigwe.
Wigwe, along with his spouse and child, were passengers in the helicopter when it experienced a crash in California near the Nevada border on Friday, February 9, 2024.
Also present in the aircraft was Abimbola Ogunbanjo, the former chairperson of Nigerian Exchange Group Plc.
Graham stated that authorities were present at the site to collect time-sensitive evidence. Additionally, he mentioned that the team was thoroughly and systematically examining all evidence and considering various potential factors in order to determine the likely cause of the accident.
Although the details provided were preliminary, witness testimonies indicated that wintry weather conditions were among the contributing factors to the incident.
“The crew consisted of a pilot in command and a safety pilot. The accident flight was operated by Orbic Air LLC as a Part 135 charter flight,” Graham said.
“Witness reports of the weather conditions at the time of the accident suggest rain and a wintry mix.
“The helicopter was not equipped with a cockpit voice recorder or a flight data recorder. This helicopter was not required to be equipped with those types of recording devices,” Graham added.
When questioned about obtaining further information regarding the passengers, Graham responded by stating that there were no specific details available. However, he did mention that any names would eventually be disclosed through the coroner’s office, although he did not provide a specific timeframe for this.
Additionally, he mentioned that the NTSB would investigate various aspects related to the helicopter, including its airworthiness, maintenance and structure, operations, meteorology, and air traffic control.
“Parties to the investigation include the FAA and Orbic Air LLC. As the investigation continues, other parties could be named,” he said.
“The BEA — the French aviation accident investigation agency — will serve as an accredited representative because France is a state of the manufacturer of the Airbus helicopter and the Turbomeca engine.”
