Helicopter Crash: Aig-Imokhuede, Folawiyo Second Chopper Report Dismissed

A report claiming that a second helicopter was involved in the crash that claimed the life of Herbert Wigwe, the group chief executive officer (GCEO) of Access Holdings Plc is not true, according to investigations.

The unfortunate crash happened on Friday, 9 February in California near the Nevada border.

The United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) providing details, disclosed that the Eurocopter EC130 helicopter that departed Palm Springs crashed around 10 p.m. California time.

Aside Wigwe, the crash claimed his wife, son, and Abimbola Ogunbanjo, the former group chairman of Nigerian Exchange Group Plc (NGX Group), among others.

However, the misleading report claiming that they were two helicopters that departed together for the same destination has been discredited.

According to the erroneous report, while one chopper had the deceased and his family on board, the second had Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, Wigwe’s business partner and former Access Bank CEO, and Tunde Folawiyo, a business mogul, on the other.

Checks have revealed that the news is false and misleading. The FAA did not reveal a second chopper departing Palm Springs with the ill-fated Eurocopter EC130 helicopter.

A statement obtained from the FAA confirmed the deaths of six people aboard the helicopter, adding that the US agency was initiating an investigation with the National Transportation Safety Board.

A public commentator, Japheth Omojuwa, also weighing in a post on X (formerly Twitter), expressed dismay at the disregard for due diligence by the media. He said, “Journalists and influencers cannot afford to dissociate their work from the responsibility to report only what they know, not what they imagine.”

“I have it on good authority that Mr. Folawiyo had not even arrived in the United States, and the two helicopter narrative is a concoction.”