The New York Times reports that a total of six people were in the helicopter that crashed near the California-Nevada border.
No survivors have been located as of the time of filing this report. Authorities said they have not been able to locate any survivors while the cause of the crash remains unknown.
Access Holdings Plc., owners of Access Bank, have yet to confirm Mr Wigwe’s death as of the time of this report.
They are reported to have been en route to Boulder City, Nevada from from Palm Springs, California, on Friday night when the helicopter conveying them crashed at about 10 pm, near a small town in California’s Mojave Desert.
Authorities said they have not been able to locate any survivors, and the cause of the crash remains unknown. The U.S. National Transportation Board has sent a team to the site to investigate the accident.
“NTSB launching go team to investigate Friday’s crash of an Airbus Helicopters EC-130 near Halloran Springs, California,” it posted on its X handle. “Team to arrive on scene today.”
Born on August 15, 1966, Wigwe would go on to become a banker and entrepreneur, ultimately becoming one of the biggest names and leaders in Nigeria’s banking and financial sector. He was also the Group Managing Director/CEO of Access Bank Plc, succeeding his business partner, Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, from January 2014 till April 2022.
He is also an alumnus of the Harvard Business School Executive Management Programme and holds a master’s in Banking and Finance from the University College of North Wales; another master’s in Financial Economics from the University of London, and a B.Sc. in Accounting from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka.
Reports about the tragic crash have sent shockwaves across Nigeria with the news already dominating conversations.
Officials from the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department were notified of the downed aircraft at 10:12 p.m. local time, according to Mara Rodriguez, a public information officer with the department. She added that the crash site was located east of Interstate 15, near Halloran Springs Road.
ROTA MEDIA learned that the ill-fated Flight N130CZ, operated by Orbic Air LLC, took off from Palm Springs, California, at 8:45 pm but was last seen near Fort Irwin/Barstow, California, at 9:49 pm, Friday.
What exactly led to the crash of the Airbus Helicopter EC-130 remains unclear and will be reported accordingly.
The National Transportation Safety Board (N.T.S.B.) and Federal Aviation Administration (F.A.A.) are investigating the crash. Representatives from the N.T.S.B. are expected to arrive at the scene on Saturday.
In a reaction, Access Bank statements read
