The Nigeria Safety Investigation Bureau NSIB says, it has received the preliminary report into the helicopter crash in the United States which claimed six lives including Nigerian businessman Dr. Herbert Wigwe, his wife Doreen Wigwe, son Chizi Wigwe, and former Chairman of the Nigerian Exchange Group, Mr. Abimbola Ogunbanjo.
According to a statement from the spokesperson of the NSIB, Mrs. Bimbo Oladeji, the report received from its counterpart in the US, National Transportation Safety Bureau, NTSB, disclosed that NSIB investigators, in collaboration with authorities and stakeholders such as David Gerlach FAA, Steve Gould Orbic Air LLC, Vincent Ecalle Bureau d’Enquetes et d’Analyses, Seth Buttner Airbus Helicopters, Bryan Larimore Safran Group, conducted on-site examinations and data analysis to determine factors contributing to the accident.
Initial findings indicate the Airbus Helicopter EC130B4 (N130CZ), operated by Orbic Air, LLC under Part 135 regulations for on-demand flights, suffered catastrophic damage upon impact, leading to fragmentation of major components.
The report details the tragic incident, where the helicopter departing from Bob Hope Airport in Burbank, California, en route to Boulder City Municipal Airport in Nevada via Palm Springs International Airport, encountered adverse weather conditions, including rain and snow.
Witnesses reported these conditions as the helicopter’s flight path, leading to reports of a “fireball” along Interstate 15. Emergency services were alerted, and the wreckage was found in mountainous terrain near Halloran Springs, California.
Analysis of the accident site revealed a scattered debris pattern, with a ground crater containing fragments of the right landing gear skid, cockpit wiring, and cabin floor structure. The fuselage, cockpit, and cabin were destroyed, showing thermal damage on debris and vegetation, indicating the collision’s force.
Flight control tubes were fragmented, and continuity could not be verified.
Main rotor blades were broken, and data analysis, using sources like ADS-B data, operator reports, and eyewitness accounts, reconstructed the flight path and events leading to the accident.
As the investigation progresses, the NSIB Director General, Captain Alex Badeh assures the NSIB remains committed to engaging the NTSB to receive the public docket of the investigation, which will comprise the compendium of information gathered throughout the investigation.
This typically includes photographs, interview summaries, documentation, and other relevant data that will give a clearer picture of the factors that led to the accident.
