Why Wigwe’s helicopter crashed – US transport board

By Adama Amahiri -May 7, 2024.

According to the report, the crash was caused by “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 crash occurred near the California-Nevada border on February 9, 2024, killing all six people on board, including Wigwe, his wife Doreen, their son Chizi and Abimbola Ogunbanjo, former group chairman of the Nigerian Exchange Group Plc.

Investigators also identified the helicopter company’s “inadequate oversight of its safety management processes” as a contributing factor. The company failed to ensure pilots completed flight risk assessments, addressed maintenance concerns, and complied with regulations prior to takeoff.

“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,” the report stated.

A key discovery was that the helicopter’s radar altimeter—a critical instrument—was not functioning before the fatal flight. The report revealed the pilot had earlier texted the maintenance director about the issue.

“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 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.”

The investigation further revealed that after the pilot picked up the passengers, he exchanged messages with the flight follower but “did not discuss the status of the radar altimeter or weather conditions.”

The helicopter, registered as N130CZ, was flying under visual flight rules but eventually entered instrument meteorological conditions, which require a different set of flight protocols and navigation tools.