Six passengers who were reportedly traveling to Las Vegas, presumably to attend the Super Bowl, tragically died in a helicopter crash in the Californian section of the Mojave Desert, according to officials. 

The Federal Aviation Administration [FAA] notified the public shortly after the crash, which happened on Friday at around 10 p.m. local time, that the involved helicopter was a Eurocopter EC130, carrying six people. 

Authorities reported that a helicopter crash near the California-Nevada border overnight left no survivors.

Victims In Helicopter

Among the dead were businessmen Abimbola Ogunbanjo and well-known Nigerian banker Herbert Wigwe, along with his wife and kid.

According to National Transportation Safety Board board member Michael Graham, the helicopter took off from Palm Springs, California, at 8:45 p.m. and was traveling toward Boulder City, Nevada, during a press conference on Saturday.

The charter airplane crashed in Halloran Springs, Calif., around 10:08 p.m., Mr. Graham stated, claiming that all of those passengers — two crew members and four passengers — were killed. He added witnesses claimed to have seen the helicopter crash in snowy, rainy conditions.

Graham briefed the media, stating that the catastrophic event happened roughly ninety minutes after the charter aircraft took off. He also mentioned that the helicopter collided with the ground south of the I-15 in Halloran Springs, California, which is approximately 120 kilometers (75 miles) northeast of Barstow.

The NTSB board members stated that as far as they knew, there was fire when the aircraft did make contact with the terrain, even though they were still investigating the incident to determine its cause.

Director-General of World Trade Organization Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala was among the Nigerian officials who verified Wigwe’s death on social media. Wigwe was the leader of Access Bank Group.

The NTSB, the FAA, and the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department are among the several US authorities looking into the disaster.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the FAA announced that they would conduct an investigation. The NTSB will oversee the inquiry and offer any updates, the FAA further stated.

According to a Fox News Digital agency representative, the aircraft will be recovered to a secure location for additional assessment after they have documented the incident and examined it.

Mr. Graham said he wished to extend his sincere condolences to the families and loved ones of those who perished in that horrific incident.

Mr. Wigwe was a director of Access Bank P.L.C., which initially announced his passing on Sunday morning. The company noted on social media that Mr. Wigwe was a “visionary leader” whose influence would last a lifetime.

Graham did issue a warning, saying that the precise meteorological conditions at the time of the incident were still being determined by the investigators.

Graham stated that they won’t draw any hasty judgments because this is just the start of a protracted process.

Graham cautioned that the completion of the investigation’s complete report might take 12 to 24 months.

The governor of Edo State, Obaseki, expressed his sadness and grief over Wigwe’s passing on X Saturday in a statement.

 

According to Obaseki, the unfortunate event was agonizing and heartbreaking, and they prayed for God to provide them with lasting solace during this extremely trying time. 

Mr. Wigwe, a Harvard Business School executive program alum, played a pivotal role in the bank’s evolution into one of Nigeria’s top financial organizations.

Mr. Tinubu said that Mr. Ogunbanjo had served as the previous chairman of the financial holding company Nigerian Exchange Group P.L.C.

Orbic Air LLC flew the aircraft; according to officials, the company is headquartered in Burbank, California. The helicopter was last observed at 9:49 p.m. close to Barstow, California, according to aviation tracking service FlightAware.

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