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A photo composition from a tweet posted by Access Bank and a file photo of a Eurocopter E-130Two crew members and four passengers died Friday night when a Eurocopter E-130-B4 (N130CZ) crashed in the Mojave Desert near the California-Nevada state line. Among those killed in the crash was the Nigerian CEO of a bank, along with his wife and son.
The helicopter was flying from Palm Springs, California to Boulder City, Nevada, following Interstate 15 at flight levels between 1,000 and 1,500 feet, according to the NTSB, when flight data showed a "gradual descent with increasing ground speed" until the moment that the helicopter crashed.The Eurocopter impacted the terrain at a nose-low and right-bank angle, the NTSB said.According to CBS News, 57-year-old Dr. Herbert Onyewumbu Wigwe was CEO of Access Bank and served as a board member of the Nigerian Mortgage Refinance Company and on the Advisory Board for Friends Africa.Nigerian news outlets have reported that a colleague of Wgwe's, Faleye Olushola, flew with the group to California from the UK but opted not to fly to Nevada by helicopter at night and in the weather conditions. GlobalAir.com could not independently confirm the reporting. However, there are numerous accounts out of Nigeria with no known outlets contradicting it.
NTSB Board Member Michael Graham said in a press conference on Sunday that government meteorologists confirmed witness reports from the time of the crash of precipitation in the area, of rain and a wintry mix.
The incident occurred just three nights after a CH-53E Super Stallion crashed en route from Nevada to a Marine Corps base near San Diego, also in poor weather conditions, in which relatives of the victims have criticized the military's decision to fly in the storm.
Graham did not go as far as to say the weather caused Friday's Eurocopter crash. All major components of were recovered in the 100-yard debris field and will be taken to a secure site for further investigation.A preliminary report is expected within 30 days, Graham said, while a final report could take as long as 12 to 24 months.