The United States National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has released pictures of the site where the helicopter carrying the former Group CEO of Access Holdings Herbert Wigwe crashed last weekend.
Wigwe, his wife, Doreen; their son, Chizi Wigwe; and former Nigerian Exchange Group Chairman, Abimbola Ogunbanjo, all died when the helicopter carrying them crashed close to the California-Nevada border.
The images were released after Michael Graham, a board member with the NTSB, said his team had visited the crash site.
Graham also outlined the activities conducted on the first full day of the investigation at the accident site.
The helicopter departed Palm Springs, California toward Boulder City, Nevada around 8:45 p.m. on Friday, February 9. According to NTSB, the crash was reported around 10:08 p.m. south of the I-15 near Halloran Springs, California.
NTSB meteorologists later confirmed what witnesses first told investigators about the weather during the crash, describing it as “rain with a wintery mix”. Investigations are also underway into reports of downed power lines at the accident site.
Investigators got flight tracking data, which ended a quarter of a mile from the position of the wreckage. Before the disaster, the data indicated a small right turn and a slow drop.
According to what the wreckage indicated, the helicopter struck the earth at a “nose-low and right-bank angle”.
Within the next thirty days, the NTSB will produce a preliminary report on the crash; after a 12- to 24-month inquiry, the full report will be released.
