Yesterday, the United States National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) provided sketchy details about the tragic helicopter crash that claimed the lives of Herbert Wigwe, the Group Chief Executive Officer of Access Holdings Plc, his wife, and son. The crash occurred in a desert near Nipton, San Bernardino County, California, amidst rain and wintry weather conditions.

Herbert Wigwe, his wife Doreen Chizoba, their son Chizi, Abimbola Ogunbanjo, a former chairman of the Nigerian Exchange Group, and two crew members were aboard the Eurocopter EC 130 helicopter, operated by Orbic Air LLC.

NTSB, mandated by the US Congress to investigate civil aviation accidents, disclosed that the helicopter caught fire upon crashing. Michael Graham, an NTSB board member, shared these details alongside Aaron Sours, the investigator leading the case, during a news conference in Barstow, California. Graham mentioned that it could take a year or two to finalize the report on the crash.

The investigation will cover various aspects, including airworthiness, maintenance, operations, meteorology, and air traffic control. However, the helicopter lacked a cockpit voice recorder or flight data recorder, which are not mandatory for this type of aircraft.

France’s aviation accident investigation agency will participate as an accredited representative in the investigation, as France is the state of the manufacturer of the Airbus helicopter and the Turbomeca engine. Both Airbus helicopters and Turbomeca engines will also serve as technical advisors.

Planned activities for the investigation include visiting the accident site for on-the-scene documentation, including aerial mapping with drones and measurements. The Eurocopter EC 130, manufactured by Airbus Helicopters SAS, has a history of accidents, including one in December 2023 in Mexico and another in February 2018 in the Grand Canyon, both resulting in fatalities.