The United States National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has determined that the tragic helicopter crash that killed former Access Holdings CEO Herbert Wigwe, his wife, son, and three others in February 2024 was primarily caused by the pilot’s misjudgment due to spatial disorientation.
According to the agency’s final report, released on Wednesday, the pilot continued to operate the aircraft under visual flight rules (VFR) despite encountering weather conditions that warranted the use of instrument flight rules (IFR).
“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,” was cited as possible cause of the crash.
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The NTSB also faulted the helicopter operator for failing to ensure adequate safety oversight, pointing to lapses in its risk management practices.
The company was criticized for “inadequate oversight of its safety management processes,” particularly concerning how it handled flight risk evaluations, documented maintenance concerns, and followed pre-flight regulatory procedures.
The crash happened on February 9, 2024, near the border between California and Nevada. All six people aboard the helicopter, identified as N130CZ, perished in the crash.
In addition to Wigwe, those who died included his wife Doreen, their son Chizi, and Abimbola Ogunbanjo, the former chairman of the Nigerian Exchange Group Plc.
Investigators concluded that the pilot most likely lost spatial awareness while navigating through poor weather conditions, which ultimately led to a loss of control and the aircraft’s fatal descent.
“The pilot likely experienced spatial disorientation while manoeuvring the helicopter in IMC, which led to his loss of helicopter control and the resulting collision with terrain,” the report stated.
The report further disclosed that the aircraft’s radar altimeter—a key safety component—was inoperative at the time of the flight. The pilot had previously informed the company’s maintenance director via text message about problems with the instrument.
The report added that a mechanic made an attempt to address the radar altimeter issue but was unable to resolve it.
“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 report said.
Despite the unresolved malfunction, both the pilot and the company’s director of maintenance decided to proceed with the flight.
“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.
”After collecting the chartered passengers, there were further communications between the pilot and the company’s flight follower.”
However, the NTSB noted that “they did not discuss the status of the radar altimeter or weather conditions.”
 has determined that the tragic helicopter crash that killed former Access Holdings CEO Herbert Wigwe, his wife, son, and three others in February 2024 was primarily caused by the pilot's misjudgment due to spatial disorientation.){kind=link}