By Joshua Tosin Ogunsakin 
The Nigeria Safety Investigative Bureau has responded to the reports by the United States National Transportation Safety Board detailing the cause of the helicopter crash that claimed the life of the former Group Chief Executive Officer of Access Holdings Plc, Herbert Wigwe, alongside his wife, son, and three others.
The NSIB, in a statement signed by its Director of Public Affairs and Family Assistance, Mrs Bimbo Oladeji, sent to our correspondent on Wednesday, differed with the NTSB’s submission which prominently blamed the pilot of the ill-fated helicopter, insisting that the captain alone shouldn’t be blamed for the unfortunate incident, rather the system that should have mitigated the situation.
NSIB is the multimodal transport agency in Nigeria that is responsible for promoting transport safety and conducting objective and thorough investigations into transport accidents.
Similarly, the NTSB is the counterpart agency in the United States charged with fulfilling the same function as the NSIB.
More than a week ago, the NTSB in its final report cited “pilot disorientation” and a violation of flight protocols, especially the decision to proceed under visual flight rules in instrument meteorological conditions, as key causes of the crash.
While countering the NTSB report, the NSIB also debunked claims that it jointly investigated the matter with the American Transport board, adding that it was only updated with the process.
Although barely 24 hours earlier, in an exclusive chat with our Correspondent, the Director-General of the NSIB, Alex Badeh, confirmed to The PUNCH that the final report of the NTSB was shared with its Nigerian counterpart.
When asked what the view of the NSIB was on the report, Badeh refused to comment, saying the agency does not comment on accident reports, as the report’s essence was not to apportion blame but to improve safety across the sector.
Eventually responding to the report, the NSIB in its statement said, “It appears there were systemic issues, and the flight risk assessment should have indicated a higher risk. While it’s easy to blame the pilot, there is a system behind the pilot that should have mitigated these risks.”
Also in February 2024, the NSIB said it offered its full cooperation to the NTSB in the investigation of the tragic crash that resulted in the death of the banker and five others.
Speaking through the latest statement, the Director General clarified that, “ the NSIB did not work side-by-side with the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board ” on the investigation of the accident, adding that “We were an interested party, and were kept abreast of the process by the NTSB, who led the investigation in the U.S.”