The Eurocopter EC 130 crashed near Nipton on the edge of the Mojave Desert Preserve.
The CEO of one of Nigeria’s largest banks was killed on Friday when a helicopter he was riding in crashed near Interstate 15 in Southern California’s Mojave Desert.
Herbert Wigwe, chief executive of Access Bank, was among the six people on board when the helicopter crashed shortly after 10 p.m. His death was confirmed by Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, a former Nigerian finance minister who is now the director general of the World Trade Organization, in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Six people were onboard a helicopter when it crashed near the California and Nevada border in eastern San Bernardino County.
The Eurocopter EC 130 crashed near Nipton on the edge of the Mojave Desert Preserve at about 10 p.m., according to the FAA. The crash site was east of the 15 Freeway near Halloran Springs Road.
Halloran Springs Road crosses over Interstate 15 in an area known to travelers for an abandoned gas station with a sign declaring “Lo Gas” and “Eat.” It’s located in a remote area of the Mojave Desert, with an elevation of nearly 3,000 feet. Logs from the California Highway Patrol show there was rain and snow in the area at about the time of the crash.
The crash comes just three days after a U.S. Marine Corps helicopter crashed in the mountains outside San Diego on Tuesday during historic downpours. Fire marines were killed.
The helicopter is registered to a Burbank-based tour company called Orbic Air.
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Details about a cause of the crash were not immediately available.
