Crash Truth Unfolds: Nigeria Receives Official Wigwe Helicopter Report From US Investigators

The tragic accident occurred on February 9, 2024, when an Airbus EC130B4 helicopter operated by Orbic Air, LLC crashed near Halloran Springs, California.

According to the report, a key contributing factor to the crash was the pilot’s decision to continue flying under visual flight rules (VFR) despite poor weather conditions that required instrument flight rules (IFR), a situation known as instrument meteorological conditions (IMC).

Speaking on the report, Badeh said:
“The NTSB shared the report directly with the NSIB as an interested party, in line with ICAO Annex 13 guidelines. These reports are not intended to assign blame but to enhance safety and prevent future occurrences.”

When asked if the NSIB agreed with the report’s conclusions, Badeh noted that the Bureau does not publicly evaluate or critique findings in such reports.
“Our focus is safety improvement. Commenting on accident reports is not our mandate,” he clarified.
“The NSIB is not the regulatory head of Nigeria’s aviation sector. The value of the report lies in its potential to improve aviation safety standards.”

Badeh also confirmed that the families of the victims were in direct contact with the NTSB throughout the course of the investigation, from the initial stages after the crash to the release of the final report.

“The families have been in touch with the NTSB from the beginning of the investigation through to its conclusion,” he stated.