HALLORAN SPRINGS. CA. (Pain In The Pass) >> Six people killed after a charter helicopter crashed in the Mojave National Preserve near Interstate 15 were identified on Tuesday. (Photo above is credit by National Transportation Safety Board)
The National Transportation Safety Board, which is investigating the crash, said those aboard were a pilot, a secondary safety pilot and four passengers.
Blake R. Hansen, 22-year-old resident of Moorpark, CA, Pilot
Benjamin D. Pettingill, 25-year-old resident of Camarillo, CA, Pilot
Herbert O. Wigwe, 57-year-old resident of Lagos, Nigeria, co-founder of Access Bank
Doreen C. Wigwe, 56-year-old resident of Lagos, Nigeria, wife
Herbert C. Wigwe, 29-year-old resident of Lagos, Nigeria, son
Abimbola O. Ogunbanjo, 61-year-old resident of Lagos, Nigeria, former chair of NGX Group, the Nigerian stock exchange.
The Airbus EC130 helicopter with the six people on board crashed on Friday night 10:12pm approximately one-quarter mile east of the I-15 Freeway, near Halloran Springs Road, the San Bernardino County Sheriff-Coroner Department said. The helicopter had taken off from Palm Springs International Airport at 8:45pm and was heading toward Boulder City, Nevada. The passengers reportedly were headed to Las Vegas for the Super Bowl, according to broadcast reports.
The cause of the crash is under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration. Weather might be a major factor. Additionally, reports of downed power lines in the crash area are being investigated.
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