Herbert Wigwe, the Group Chief Executive Officer of Access Holdings Plc, has tragically lost his life in a helicopter crash near the Nevada border in California. The incident occurred on Friday, February 9, 2024, casting a somber shadow over both the business and aviation communities.
The ill-fated helicopter, identified as a Eurocopter EC130, met its demise near Nipton, California, an unincorporated area approximately 60 miles south of Las Vegas in San Bernardino County. Alongside Wigwe, the crash claimed the lives of his wife, Chizoba, their son, and another Nigerian, Abimbola Ogunbanjo, who served as the group chairman of Nigerian Exchange Group (NGX).
Authorities received reports of the crash around 10 p.m. local time, but the circumstances leading to the tragedy remain undisclosed. Regrettably, no survivors have been found as of Saturday morning.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has confirmed the incident, yet details regarding the flight’s origin and intended destination are still pending. The ill-fated helicopter was en route to Las Vegas, carrying Wigwe and approximately five other individuals when disaster struck.
A spokesperson from the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department stated, “The helicopter carrying six people crashed in San Bernardino County overnight, with authorities unable to locate any survivors. We are not able to confirm how many people were on board or their names.”
The helicopter, registered to Orbic Air, a Burbank-based tour company, hints at the possibility that the flight was part of a leisure trip to Las Vegas. However, the exact cause of the crash remains under investigation, with both the FAA and local authorities working diligently to unravel the sequence of events that led to this heartbreaking incident.
