A final report by the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) attributes the helicopter crash that killed Herbert Wigwe and his family to the pilot’s spatial disorientation and inadequate safety oversight by the helicopter company

[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he United States National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has released its final report on the helicopter crash that tragically claimed the lives of former Access Holdings Plc Group Chief Executive Officer, Herbert Wigwe, his wife Doreen, their son Chizi, and Abimbola Ogunbanjo, former Group Chairman of Nigerian Exchange Group Plc.

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The report attributes the fatal accident to the ‘pilot’s spatial disorientation’ and criticizes the helicopter company for ‘inadequate oversight of its safety management processes.’

The crash occurred near the California-Nevada border on February 9, 2024. The NTSB’s findings, released on Wednesday, detailed that the helicopter, registered as N130CZ, was operating under visual flight rules (VFR) but encountered instrument meteorological conditions (IMC), which necessitate different flight procedures and instrumentation.

The NTSB concluded that 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.”

Furthermore, the report revealed significant safety lapses by the helicopter company. Investigators found that the company failed to ensure pilots properly completed flight risk analyses, recorded maintenance issues adequately, and adhered to required regulations before departure.

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

A critical finding of the investigation was that the helicopter’s radar altimeter, a vital instrument for altitude awareness, was non-functional prior to the fatal flight.

The report detailed that the pilot had informed the maintenance director about the issue during an earlier flight. Although a company mechanic attempted to troubleshoot the problem, the radar altimeter remained inoperative.

The NTSB report noted, “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.”

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The investigation also revealed that despite exchanging messages after arriving to collect the charter passengers, the pilot and the flight follower “did not discuss the status of the radar altimeter or weather conditions.” These findings highlight critical safety oversights that contributed to the tragic accident.