The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has concluded that both pilot error and poor company oversight were responsible for the February 9 helicopter crash that killed Herbert Wigwe, his wife Doreen, their son Chizi, and former NGX Group chairman Abimbola Ogunbanjo.
The final report, released by the NTSB on Wednesday, May 7, found that the pilot became disoriented after flying into poor weather and failed to maintain control of the aircraft.
The crash, which occurred near the Nevada-California border, also claimed the lives of two other passengers.
“The probable cause of this accident was the pilot’s decision to continue the flight into IMC, which led to spatial disorientation and the loss of control of the aircraft,” the report stated.
It further noted that the company operating the flight failed to enforce key safety procedures, including flight risk assessments and the logging of equipment malfunctions.
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Before picking up the passengers, the pilot reportedly informed the company’s Director of Maintenance (DOM) about a faulty radar altimeter. Although attempts were made to fix it, the issue was not resolved.
“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 NTSB said.
“The mechanic reported that the pilot and the DOM were aware that the radar altimeter was not functioning, yet they departed at 18:22 on the positioning flight to pick up the passengers.”
Despite this known defect, there was no further discussion about the equipment failure or weather conditions before takeoff.
“After arrival, the pilot and flight follower had a phone conversation and exchanged text messages, but they did not discuss the status of the radar altimeter or weather conditions,” the report added.
The NTSB concluded that in addition to the pilot’s decision-making, “contributing factors include the company’s inadequate oversight of safety management, failure to ensure proper documentation, and the non-functioning radar altimeter.”