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Flights To Eternity: Those Who Took Final Bow In Helicopter Crashes

Published

2 years ago

May 22, 2024

Helicopter crashes have taken the lives of thousands of people including high-profile personalities over the decades.

Though it is not as frequent as road crashes, its effect can be very devastating given aircraft altitude to the ground. In most cases, passengers hardly survive the deadly accidents.

World leaders on Monday joined Iranians in mourning the death of President Ebrahim Raisi whose helicopter crashed into a fog-shrouded mountain on Sunday.

Raisi, 63; his foreign minister and seven others died when the aircraft went down in a remote area of northwestern Iran, where the wreckage was only found on Monday morning. They were all confirmed dead by state authorities.

The latest helicopter crash in Iran happens to be one of the most recent aircraft accidents widely reported.

It is coming in about three months after the death of a former Group Chief Executive Officer of Access Holdings Plc, Herbert Wigwe who died in a helicopter crash that took place in the United States in February. Wigwe’s death sparked concerns across the globe.

The CEO, his wife and son, as well as a former group chairman of Nigerian Exchange Group Plc, Abimbola Ogunbanjo, died in the crash in California.

Also, Chile’s former President Sebastian Pinera, a billionaire tycoon, died in a helicopter crash on February 6, 2024.

An Aljazeera report said Chile’s Interior Minister, Carolina Toha, confirmed the death of the former president but did not give details.

Chile’s national disaster agency SENAPRAD confirmed that three people were also injured.

In January 2020, United States basketball legend, Kobe Bryant, and his daughter, Gianna, were among nine people killed in a helicopter crash in the city of Calabasas, also in California.

Bryant, 41, and Gianna, 13, were travelling in a private helicopter when it went down and burst into flames, according to a report by BBC. The county sheriff said there were no survivors.

Bryant, a five-time NBA champion, played for the LA Lakers throughout his career and was considered one of the greatest players in the game’s history.

A former owner of Leicester City FC, Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, also died when his helicopter crashed outside the stadium, according to his club which confirmed the incident.

The billionaire, two members of his staff, the pilot and a passenger were killed when the aircraft spiralled out of control and crashed in a fireball on October 28, 2018.

It had just cleared the King Power Stadium when it came down around 8:30pm.

A former Governor of Kaduna State, Patrick Yakowa, was killed in a helicopter crash along with other senior officials on December 15, 2012.

Yakowa and a former national security adviser, Gen. Owoye Azazi, were on the helicopter that came down in Bayelsa.

Between 1989 and 2024, over 1000 fatalities have been recorded in Nigeria in over 70 plane crashes, according to data from Geneva-based Bureau of Aircraft Accident Archives retrieved from its website on Wednesday.

The Bureau noted that the worst plane crash happened in Nigeria on June 3, 2012, when 159 persons were killed.

Mechanical failure and pilot error were blamed for the 2012 air crash, according to accident investigators in a report published in 2017, five years after the incident.

A Boeing MD-83 aircraft was carrying 153 passengers and crew when it crashed into a densely-populated area in the north of Lagos and burst into flames. Six people were killed on the ground.

The Accident Investigation Bureau said two engines on the doomed Dana Air flight from the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, failed mid-air before it crashed on approach to Lagos airport.

“Engine number one lost power 17 minutes into the flight, and thereafter on final approach, engine number two lost power and failed to respond to throttle movement on demand for increased power to sustain the aircraft in its flight configuration,” the report stated.

The “inappropriate omission of the use of the checklist and the crew’s inability to appreciate the severity of the power-related problem, and their subsequent failure to land at the nearest suitable airfield” also contributed to the crash, it added.

Associated Press also highlighted helicopter crashes in other countries that dated from 1977.

On August 1, 1977, a pilot whose U-2 spy plane was shot down over the Soviet Union in 1960, Francis Gary Powers, was killed when the KNBC-TV news helicopter he was piloting ran out of fuel and crashed near Encino, California.

On July 23, 1982, actor Vic Morrow, star of the ABC series “Combat!” and child actors Myca Dinh and Renee Chen were killed on the ground when a helicopter crashed into them on the set of “Twilight Zone: The Movie” in Indian Dunes, California.

A helicopter carrying guitarist, singer and songwriter Stevie Vaughan slammed into a hillside in Elkhorn, Wisconsin, after an outdoor concert, killing Vaughan and all four others onboard on August 27, 1990, AP reported.

On October 25, 1991, Rock concert promoter Bill Graham and two other people died when their helicopter hit a utility tower and crashed near Vallejo, California.

Also, Davey Allison, who was the 1992 Daytona 500 winner, died on July 13, 1993, after a helicopter he was piloting crashed at Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama.

On September 17, 2017, Troy Gentry, who was part of the country music duo Montgomery Gentry, was killed in a helicopter crash in Medford, New Jersey.

Helicopter crashes raise critical questions about safety measures, the role of weather conditions and risk mitigation strategies.

At the heart of some of the helicopter crashes could also be mechanical failures capable of compromising the integrity of these aerial vehicles.

Recall that in April the family of the late Chairman of the Nigerian Exchange Group, Abimbola Ogunbanjo, who died in the helicopter crash alongside Wigwe, filed a lawsuit against the US helicopter company.

The Ogunbanjo family stated that the flight should have been grounded because of treacherous weather.

One of the attorneys who filed the lawsuit, Andrew Robb, noted that Ogunbanjo’s family were seeking “answers and accountability.”

“Helicopters do not do very well in snow and ice,” Robb told Associated Press. “This flight was entirely preventable, and we don’t know why they took off,” he added.

The US National Transportation Safety Board had confirmed that law enforcement and witnesses observed the helicopter transporting Wigwe engulfed in flames before it crashed.

In its report on the crash, the Board added that witnesses also reported the weather conditions in the area were “not good” and raining with a snow mix.

In Iran, pictures from the site of Raisi’s helicopter crash indicated poor weather conditions as the atmosphere was filled with fog that even made rescue officials find it difficult to get to the crash site in time.

Meanwhile, some reports raised questions about the mechanical condition of the helicopter that transported Raisi and other officials.

According to Aljazeera, the US-manufactured chopper – Two-blade Bell 212, that Raisi was travelling on, is believed to have been decades old.

The media house cited foreign sanctions on Iran which dated back to 1979 over its nuclear programme and anti-US stance.

This, it gathered, made it difficult for the country to obtain aircraft parts or new aircraft thereby frustrating the maintenance of old ones.

Since the first US sanctions on Iran 45 years ago, the Iranian economy has continued to take hits, and its airlines have in particular been impacted, the report published Monday stated.

Between 1979 and 2024, Iran plane crashes have killed over 2000 people in over 70 accidents, according to data from the Bureau of Aircraft Accident Archives retrieved from its website on Wednesday.

The worst aircraft accident in the country was in 1988 in which 290 fatalities were recorded.

On August 10, 2014, BBC reported that at least 38 people were killed when a small passenger plane crashed near the Iranian capital, Tehran.

The aircraft, which was heading to the eastern city of Tabas, went down after take-off in a residential area near Mehrabad airport on a Sunday morning.

The passengers included at least five children, according to the aviation authority.

Initial reports said all passengers on board the plane had been killed, but state media later reported that some passengers had been injured and transferred to hospital.

The report further highlighted that Iran had suffered a series of plane crashes, blamed on its ageing aircraft and poor maintenance record.

Source: PUNCH

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FG Summons S. African Envoy Over Rising Xenophobic Attacks On Nigerians

Published

2 days ago

May 3, 2026

Editor

The Federal Government has summoned the Acting High Commissioner of South Africa in Abuja over renewed concerns about xenophobic attacks and protests targeting foreign nationals, including Nigerians, living in that country.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the envoy is expected at its headquarters on Monday, May 4, 2026, for a high-level engagement aimed at addressing the growing tension and safeguarding bilateral relations between both countries.

In a statement issued on Sunday, the spokesperson for the Ministry, Kimiebi Ebienfa, said Nigeria would formally express its “profound concern” over recent developments in South Africa, particularly reports of harassment, violence, and destruction of property belonging to foreign nationals.

According to the ministry, the meeting will focus on ongoing demonstrations by various groups in South Africa and documented cases of attacks on Nigerians and their businesses in parts of the country.

“The objective of this engagement is to formally convey the Nigerian Government’s profound concern regarding recent events that have the potential to impact the established cordial relations between Nigeria and South Africa,” the statement read.

It added that discussions would also address ongoing demonstrations by various groups within South Africa and documented instances of mistreatment of Nigerian citizens and attacks on their businesses.

The ministry acknowledged growing anger among Nigerians over reports of xenophobic violence but urged restraint, stressing that diplomatic engagement remained the preferred channel for resolution.

It assured Nigerians that the Federal Government was actively engaging South African authorities to ensure the protection of its citizens abroad.

“The Ministry is aware of the growing discontent among Nigerians concerning the treatment of their nationals in South Africa. Nevertheless, it implores the Nigerian public to remain calm and reiterates the Federal Government’s commitment to protecting the rights and well-being of Nigerian citizens residing in South Africa,” the statement added.

The latest diplomatic move comes amid renewed reports of xenophobic tensions in parts of South Africa, where foreign-owned businesses have occasionally been targeted during protests linked to unemployment and economic hardship.

South Africa has a history of xenophobic violence dating back to 2008, with subsequent flare-ups in 2015 and 2019, when mobs attacked migrants, looted shops, and displaced thousands of foreign nationals across several provinces.

In past incidents, Nigerians and other African nationals were among those affected, prompting strong diplomatic reactions from Abuja and calls for stronger protection of foreign communities.

While South African authorities have repeatedly condemned such attacks and deployed security forces to restore order during outbreaks of violence, concerns have persisted over recurring hostility in some communities.

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Mississippi Man ‘Kills Mother, Flushes Her Remains Down Toilet’

Published

4 days ago

May 2, 2026

Editor

A 29-year-old Mississippi man, Zachary Lavel Jackson Jr., has been charged with multiple offences, including first-degree murder, over the death of his mother, Lana Brown Bradley, after deputies responded to her Natchez home on April 4 following a missing person report from relatives.

The Adams County Sheriff’s Office said deputies were called to Bradley’s residence after her oldest son was unable to reach her the previous day.

Jackson was initially identified as a family member before investigators confirmed he was her son.

Sheriff Travis Patten described the case as deeply disturbing.“This is by far the most heinous crime that I’ve ever witnessed in my entire life. We weren’t out there that day; this was one of those things when we walked up.

“This was one of those cases that you will never, ever forget in your life. This is the type of case that follows you home,” Patten told WJTV.

According to the sheriff, deputies noticed signs of a recent cleanup when they arrived at the home.

“As soon as they walked in the house, they could just see where somebody had been cleaning up, and they could smell chemicals all throughout the house.

“Floor was extremely slippery. And the older son said that this is just unusual for the youngest son to be cleaning up the house like that,” Patten explained.

Jackson, the youngest son, was found in a bathroom, where deputies allegedly made a discovery that became central to the investigation.

“I can say what was in the toilet, and it was her flesh. He chopped her up in pieces and dismembered her in a way that whoever came looking for her would have to do their due diligence to find her, and that’s just what we did,” the sheriff said.

Authorities said Jackson allegedly placed parts of his mother’s body in a suitcase and attempted to dispose of other remains.

Jackson faces charges of first-degree murder, second-degree murder, mayhem and tampering with evidence.

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Iran Says War With US May Resume As Trump Rejects Proposal

Published

4 days ago

May 2, 2026

Editor

Iran’s military has warned that the war with the United States and Israel could resume, declaring that it is fully prepared for any renewed confrontation as tensions between the sides continue to deepen.

In a statement reported by Iranian state-affiliated media, senior military officials said a return to hostilities is “likely”, citing what they described as Washington’s lack of commitment to previous agreements and negotiations.

The warning comes after US President Donald Trump expressed dissatisfaction with Iran’s latest peace proposal, saying the terms presented by Tehran included demands he “can’t agree to”.

According to officials in Tehran, Iran believes it showed flexibility during earlier negotiations, including talks held in Islamabad and during the ceasefire period. However, authorities argue that the United States has instead taken a tougher stance, widening the gap between both sides.

Iranian officials insist that key issues such as sanctions relief and the status of the Strait of Hormuz must be resolved before any broader agreement, including discussions around its nuclear programme, can progress. They also reject what they describe as US demands amounting to “surrender”.

The growing diplomatic deadlock has raised fears that another round of fighting may be imminent, with Iranian authorities indicating that preparations are already underway.

Meanwhile, the prolonged conflict continues to have far-reaching consequences within Iran. Internet monitoring group NetBlocks reports that the country has entered its 64th day of near-total internet disruption, effectively isolating it from global online networks.

The shutdown, which began after renewed anti-government protests earlier in the year and intensified following the outbreak of the war, has significantly disrupted businesses and livelihoods across the country.

Beyond Iran, the conflict is also reshaping global dynamics. Rising oil prices linked to the war have placed pressure on international markets, while geopolitical tensions have strained alliances, including between the United States and European partners.

As both sides remain far apart on key issues, analysts warn that without a breakthrough in negotiations, the fragile pause in fighting could collapse, paving the way for renewed military escalation in the region.