The United States Aviation authorities have shared details of the crash that killed the Group Chief Executive Officer of Access Holdings Plc, Herbert Wigwe, his Wife, Chizoba, Son, Chizi and the former Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Exchange Group, Abimbola Ogunbanjo late Friday night.
The authorities of the National Transportation Safety Board in a briefing on Sunday said wintry weather condition was among the factors that contributed to the Helicopter crash which killed all six person onboard icluding the two pilots.
Member of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), Michael Graham, who led the briefing said officials were at the scene to gather perishable evidence.
According to him “The team methodically and systematically reviews all evidence and considers all potential factors to determine the probable cause of the crash”.
“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. Witness reports of the weather conditions at the time of the accident suggest rain and a wintry mix.”
According to him, details on the passengers that boarded the aircraft are not immediately available but will be released through the coroner’s office,” he did not however specify a time frame for the release.
He also disclosed that 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.”
The NTSB would look into the chopper’s airworthiness; maintenance and structure of the helicopter, operations, meteorology, and air traffic control, according to Graham.
Those to be involved in the investigation include the FAA, Orbic Air LLC, 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.
More parties may be named as the investigation continues.
