The United States National Transportation Safety Board, NTSB, said on Sunday, that it has begun investigations into the cause of the Helicopter crash that killed the Group CEO of Access Holdings Plc, Dr. Herbert Wigwe, his wife, son and three others.
Speaking during a media briefing Saturday, an NTSB member Mr. Michael Graham, said officials were on the scene to gather perishable evidence.
Graham said the team was “methodically and systematically reviewing all evidence” and considering all potential factors to determine the probable cause of the crash. He added that although the information provided was only preliminary, witness reports suggested that a wintry weather condition was among the factors that contributed to the accident.
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.
Asked about more information on the passengers, Graham stated there were no details but added that “any names will be released through the coroner’s office” without specifying a time frame.
He added that the NTSB would look into the chopper’s airworthiness; maintenance and structure of the helicopter, 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.”
Meanwhile, more details have emerged on the ill-fated crash of a chopper that had Herbert Wigwe, group chief executive officer (GCEO) of Access Holdings Plc, wife – Chizoba, son and three others on board.
It was learnt that Abimbola Ogunbanjo, the former group chairman of Nigerian Exchange Group Plc (NGX Group), and two others (yet to be identified) were also onboard the helicopter when it crashed in California near the Nevada border.
The United States federal aviation administration (FAA) said the Eurocopter EC130 helicopter crashed around 10 p.m. California time (Saturday, 7 a.m. Nigerian time).
According to KTLA 5 News, a US local media, the chopper took off from Palm Springs but it was not clear where it was headed.
There was a reported rain and a snowstorm in the area at the time of the crash with gusty winds raging as high as 45 mph.
This newspaper gathered that Wigwe’s helicopter and another one were flying towards the same direction at the time of the incident.
While one had Wigwe and his family on board, Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, Wigwe’s business partner and former Access bank CEO, and Tunde Folawiyo, business mogul, were reportedly aboard the second chopper.
KTLA 5 News added that a medical examiner was on the way to the scene to remove the bodies of the victims.
No survivors have been found so far.
FAA said the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will be in charge of the investigation and will provide any updates.
Meanwhile, report says Mr. Wigwe flew from London with the party into California but could not continue to Las Vegas apparently because of some schedule hitches.
Consequently, they landed in Los Angeles and hired a chopper to Las Vegas for the annual Super Bowl which he usually attended with his family and close associates.
The Super Bowl is the annual league championship game of the National Football League of the United States.
