Federal security officials on Tuesday blamed the deadly helicopter crash Kobe Bryant and eight others on board last year over the pilot’s poor decision to fly in thick clouds, where he becomes disoriented and the plane crashes into a hill in Southern California. According to the National Transportation Safety Board, poor visibility probably led to pilot Ara Zobayan becoming so disoriented in dense fog north of Los Angeles that he could not see from below.
The five councilors also said Zobayan, who also died in the crash, ignored his training and violated federal regulations during the 40-minute flight.
The agency released its findings during a four-hour trial aimed at identifying possible causes of the tragedy – which led to widespread public mourning over the retired basketball player, several lawsuits launched and the state and argued federal law.
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, when the Sikorsky S-76 helicopter crashed in January in the San Fernando Valley in San Fernando. valley encounter. 26, 2020. There was no sign of mechanical failure and the accident was presumably an accident.
Investigators said they believe Zobayan is experiencing a spatial disorientation known as ‘the handrails’, which occur in the inner ear and lead pilots to believe that their planes are flying straight and even when they are actually landing.
The agency criticized Zobayan’s decision to fly in the clouds, saying the Federal Aviation Administration’s standards require pilots to be able to see where they are going under the so-called Visual Flight Rules.
Councilors also unanimously cited the self-induced pressure that Zobayan probably felt to complete the flight for his strong client, whom he flew regularly, instead of landing at a nearby local airport when the weather got worse. be than he expected. Zobayan also could not submit a backup flight before leaving.
“The closer you get to the destination, the more you think you can just reach it,” said Vice President Bruce Landsberg.
Mark J. Terrill / AP
The agency also blamed Island Express Helicopters Inc., which operates the aircraft, for inadequate review and oversight of safety issues.
Just before the crash, Zobayan told flight attendants he was getting into the helicopter and almost broke through the clouds. But investigators said the helicopter was in fact sinking and began to descend rapidly.
The plane climbed sharply and almost managed to break through the fog and clouds when the helicopter suddenly turned left and crashed into grassy, oak-strewn hills in the city of Calabasas.
When it hit the ground, the helicopter flew at about 184 km / h and sank at more than 4000 feet per minute.
The impact caused a crater to spread debris over an area as large as a football field. The victims died instantly.
There were 184 aircraft accidents between 2010-2019 that include spatial disorientation, including 20 fatal helicopter crashes, the safety council said.
Councilor Michael Graham said Zobayan was ignoring his training, adding that as long as helicopter pilots continued to fly in the clouds without relying on instruments, which required a high level of training, “a certain percentage will not come alive.”
“What part of the cloud do pilots not understand if you have a Visual Flight Rules program?” Landsberg added.
The helicopter did not have so-called ‘black box’ recording devices that were not needed.
The Safety Board is an independent federal agency that investigates transportation-related accidents but has no enforcement powers. It submits proposals to agencies such as the Federal Aviation Administration or the Coast Guard, which have repeatedly rejected a number of safety advice recommendations after other disasters.
Over the past year, experts have speculated that the crash could lead to terrain awareness and warning systems, devices that indicate when planes are in danger of crashing, on helicopters. California Democratic Congresswoman Brad Sherman of California introduced the Kobe Bryant and Gianna Bryant Helicopter Safety Act last year, which would order the federal government to place the systems in all helicopters, CBS Los Angeles reported.
The helicopter in which Bryant was flying did not have the system, which the safety board recommended as mandatory for helicopters. The aviation administration only needs it for air ambulances.
However, Security Council investigator Bill English said on Tuesday that the system would probably not be useful in the scenario in which Bryant’s helicopter crashed.
The hilly terrain, coupled with the pilot’s spatial disorientation in the clouds, would have made the warning system a confusing factor, Engels said.
“The pilot does not know which way to go,” Engels said.
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. and its owner, Island Express Holding Corp., did not properly train 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 air traffic controllers and said the accident was caused by their ‘series of wrongdoing and / or omissions’.
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.