Herbert Wigwe: US Govt Gives Update On California Helicopter Crash

The tragic helicopter crash that claimed the lives of Herbert Wigwe, the Group Chief Executive Officer of Access Holdings Plc, and his family, is under investigation by the United States National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).

The NTSB board member, Michael Graham, gave an update on the progress of the investigation during a media briefing on Saturday at 6 pm Pacific time. He said the officials were collecting evidence from the crash site and analyzing all possible causes of the accident.

He said the information was still preliminary, but some witnesses reported that the weather was rainy and snowy at the time of the crash, which could have been a contributing factor. He also said the helicopter, which was operated by Orbic Air LLC as a charter flight, did not have a cockpit voice recorder or a flight data recorder, as it was not required by law.

He said the NTSB would examine the helicopter’s airworthiness, which covers the maintenance and structure of the helicopter, as well as the operations, meteorology, and air traffic control aspects of the flight. He said the parties involved in the investigation include the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Orbic Air LLC, and that the French aviation accident investigation agency (BEA) would also participate as a representative of the manufacturer of the Airbus helicopter and the Turbomeca engine.

He said the NTSB would document the crash site with a drone and take measurements of the wreckage. He said the NTSB would also obtain the records of the flight crew, the helicopter maintenance, and the flight dispatch from Orbic Air for documentation.

He said the NTSB would not release the names of the passengers, but that the coroner’s office would do so at a later time. He said the NTSB would issue a report in a few weeks, but that the full investigation would take 12 to 24 months before a final report is published.