LOS ANGELES – U.S. security investigators said Tuesday that the pilot of Kobe Bryant’s helicopter flew through the clouds last year in an apparent violation of federal standards, and likely became disoriented just before the helicopter crashed, killing Bryant and eight others. has.
Robert Sumwalt, chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board, said pilot Ara Zobayan was flying under visual flight rules, meaning he should be able to see where he was going.
Zobayan steered the plane to climb sharply and nearly broke through the clouds when the Sikorsky S-76 helicopter suddenly crashed and crashed into the southern hills of California, killing everyone on board.
The helicopter did not have so-called ‘black box’ recording devices that were not needed.
The revelation during a trial to announce the probable cause or causes of the accident follows many finger pointing.
Bryant’s widow, Vanessa, blamed the pilot. She and relatives of the other victims also blamed the companies that owned and operated the helicopter.
The pilot’s brother did not blame Bryant, but said he knew of the risks of flying. The helicopter companies said that foggy weather before the helicopter hit the ground was an act of God and blamed the air traffic controllers.
The federal trial focused on the long-awaited probable cause or causes of the tragedy that sparked worldwide sadness for the retired basketball player, launched several lawsuits and gave rise to state and federal legislation.
Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, and six other passengers were flying from Orange County to a youth basketball tournament at his Mamba Sports Academy in Ventura County on January 26, 2020, when the helicopter encountered dense fog in the San. Fernando Valley north of Los Angeles.
Zobayan climbed sharply and nearly broke through the clouds when the helicopter suddenly crashed and crashed into the Calabasas hills below, killing all nine on board before flames engulfed the wreckage.
There was no sign of mechanical breakdown, and the crash was presumably an accident, the NTSB said earlier.
The council is likely to make non-binding recommendations to prevent future crashes. The NTSB is an independent federal agency that investigates transportation-related accidents but has no enforcement capacity.
It submits proposals to agencies such as the Federal Aviation Administration or the Coast Guard, which have repeatedly rejected some of the council’s safety recommendations following other disasters.
One possible recommendation following the investigation into the crash that killed Bryant could be that helicopters have terrain awareness and warning systems, devices that indicate when planes are in danger of crashing.
The helicopter in which Bryant flew in does not have the system, which the NTSB recommends as mandatory for helicopters. The FAA only needs it for air ambulances.
Federal lawmakers have sponsored the Kobe Bryant and Gianna Bryant Helicopter Safety Act to set up the devices on all helicopters carrying six or more passengers.
Former NTSB chairman James Hall said he hoped the FAA needed the systems as a result of the crash.
“Historically, it has required high tragedies to move the regulatory needle forward,” he said.
The devices, known as TAWS, cost $ 35,000 per helicopter and require training and maintenance.
Helicopter Association International, which represents the helicopter industry, discouraged the method called “a solution for all”.
President and CEO James Viola said in a statement that the mandate to make specific equipment for the entire industry ‘inefficient’ and ‘potentially dangerous’.
Although Zobayan was flying at low altitude in a hilly area, the warning system may not have prevented the crash, said Ed Coleman, a professor of safety in science at Embry-Riddle.
The rough terrain could have caused the alarm to go off continuously and distract the pilot’s attention or prompted him to lower the alarm’s volume or ignore it, Coleman said.
According to federal investigators, Zobayan, an experienced pilot who has flown regularly with Bryant, may have disoriented the angles at which he descended and misplaced, which according to NTSB documents could be disoriented due to low visibility.
The others killed in the crash were Orange Coast College dog trainer John Altobelli, his wife, Keri, and their daughter Alyssa; Christina Mauser, who helped Bryant coach his daughter’s basketball team; and Sarah Chester and her daughter Payton. Alyssa and Payton were Gianna’s teammates.
The accident caused lawsuits and inconsistencies.
On the day that a massive memorial service was held at the Staples Center, where Bryant played most of his career, Vanessa Bryant sued Zobayan and the companies that own and operate the helicopter for alleged negligence and the unlawful death of her. husband and daughter. Families of other victims sued the helicopter companies, but not the pilot.
Vanessa Bryant said Island Express Helicopters Inc., which operates the aircraft, and its owner, Island Express Holding Corp., did not properly train or supervise Zobayan. She said the pilot was careless and negligent in flying in fog and should have stopped the flight.
According to Zobayan’s brother, Berge Zobayan, Kobe Bryant knew what the risks were of flying in a helicopter and that his survivors were not entitled to damages from the pilot’s estate. Island Express Helicopters Inc. denied responsibility and said the accident was an act of God he could not control.
The company also spoke to two FAA air traffic controllers and said the accident was caused by their ‘series of wrongdoing and / or omissions’.
According to the contrast, one controller improperly denied Zobayan’s request for ‘flight to’, or radar assistance, while continuing in the fog. Officials said the controller terminated service because the radar could not be maintained at the altitude at which the plane was flying.
According to the lawsuit, the controller said he would soon lose radar and communications, but radar contact was not lost.
When the second controller took over, the lawsuit said the first controller did not inform him about the helicopter, and because the radar services were not terminated correctly, the pilot believed he was being tracked down.
Vanessa Bryant also sued the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department, accusing delegates of sharing unauthorized photos of the crash site. California now has a state law that bans such behavior.