Posted by According to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) of the United States, Herbert Wigwe, the founder of Access Holdings Plc, was killed in a helicopter crash that began as a fireball.
A few weeks ago, a California helicopter disaster claimed the lives of Wigwe, his wife, son, and former Group Chairman of Nigerian Exchange Group Plc, or NGX Group, Abimbola Ogunbanjo.
On the tragic day of the collision, witnesses claimed to have seen a mix of rain and snow, according to an NTSB inquiry.
The Board claims that before to the disaster, the helicopter’s Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) system, which tracks an aircraft’s position, detected an increase in ground speed.
“Under visual flight rules, the accident flight took off from Palm Springs International Airport (PSP) at 2045 and headed northwesterly for approximately two miles. After that, it followed US Highway 111 to Interstate (I) 10 at an altitude of between 2,500 and 3,000 feet mean sea level (msl).”
After continuing on I-10, the chopper passed over San Bernardino International Airport in San Bernardino, California, then proceeded on I-215 until reaching I-15.
Following Interstate 15 to Boulder City Municipal Airport (BVU), Boulder City, Nevada, was the helicopter’s intended destination. It ascended between 4,000 and 5,500 feet above sea level before descending to roughly 3,500 feet above sea level close to Barstow, California, where the ADS-B track data was lost around 2146, most likely as a result of terrain interference.
West of the accident scene, at 2207, ADS-B data was once again available close to the Halloran Springs/I-15 exit. As seen in Figures 1 and 2, the flight’s final ADS-B data points tracked east-southeast, progressively decreasing in altitude and increasing in ground speed.
The accident scene was situated at an elevation of roughly 3,360 feet mean sea level, 0.31 miles east-southeast of the most recent data point.
Law enforcement said that multiple witnesses who were driving on I-15 called 911 to report seeing a “fireball” to the south.
The weather in the region was described by the witnesses as “not good,” and it was raining with a mix of snow. Law enforcement located the accident location at 2346,” the report stated in part.
The NTSB went on to say that the debris was dispersed roughly 300 feet along a 120° magnetic heading from the initial impact point, and the wreckage was situated in high mountainous desert and scrub brush covered terrain.
The study also said that “all major helicopter components were identified at the accident site.”