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LOS ANGELES – US security investigators said on Tuesday that the pilot of Kobe Bryant’s helicopter flew over the clouds last year in an apparent violation of federal standards, likely becoming disoriented just before the helicopter took off. crashes and kills Bryant and eight others.
Robert Sumwalt, chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board, said pilot Ara Zobayan was flying under visual flight rules, which meant he had to be able to see where he was going.
Zobayan piloted the plane so that it climbed sharply and had almost passed through the clouds when the Sikorsky S-76 helicopter tilted sharply and plunged into the Southern California hills below, killing everyone in edge.
The helicopter did not have so-called “black box” recording devices, which were not required.
The revelation during a hearing to announce the probable cause or causes of the accident followed many points of the finger.
Bryant’s widow, Vanessa, blamed the pilot. She and the relatives of the other victims also criticized the companies that owned and operated the helicopter.
The pilot’s brother did not blame Bryant but said he knew the risks of flying. The helicopter companies said the foggy weather before the helicopter hit the ground was an act of God and blamed the air traffic controllers.
The federal hearing focused on the long-awaited probable cause or causes of the tragedy that unleashed the retired basketball star’s worldwide grief, launched several lawsuits, and prompted 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 flew encountered heavy fog in the San Fernando Valley north of Los Angeles.
Zobayan climbed sharply and nearly broke through the clouds as the helicopter tilted sharply and plunged into the hills of Calabasas below, killing the nine on board instantly before flames engulfed the wreckage.
There was no sign of mechanical failure and the crash was considered an accident, the NTSB previously said.
The board of directors is likely to make non-binding recommendations to avoid future accidents. The NTSB is an independent federal agency that investigates transportation-related collisions but has no enforcement powers.
He submits suggestions to agencies such as the Federal Aviation Administration or the Coast Guard, which have repeatedly rejected some of the council’s safety recommendations after other disasters.
One possible recommendation following the investigation into the crash that killed Bryant could be that helicopters have terrain detection and warning systems, devices that signal when a plane is in danger of crashing.
The helicopter Bryant was flying in did not have the system, which the NTSB recommended as mandatory for helicopters. The FAA only requires it for air ambulances.
Federal lawmakers sponsored the Kobe Bryant and Gianna Bryant Helicopter Safety Act to make the devices mandatory on all helicopters carrying six or more passengers.
Former NTSB chairman James Hall said he hoped the FAA would need the systems in the aftermath of the crash.
“Historically, it took high-profile tragedies to push the regulatory needle forward,” he said.
The devices, known as TAWS, cost more than $ 35,000 per helicopter and require training and maintenance.
Helicopter Association International, which represents the helicopter industry, has discouraged what it called a “one-size-fits-all” method.
President and CEO James Viola said in a statement that mandating specific equipment for the entire industry would be “ineffective” and “potentially dangerous”.
Even though Zobayan was flying low in a hilly area, the warning system may not have prevented the crash, said Ed Coleman, professor of security science at Embry-Riddle.
The rough terrain could have set off the “constantly ringing” alarm and distracted the pilot or caused him to lower the alarm volume or ignore it, Coleman said.
Federal investigators said Zobayan, an experienced pilot who often flew Bryant, may have “misperceived” the angles at which he descended and banked, which can occur when pilots are disoriented in low visibility, according to NTSB documents.
The others killed in the crash were Orange Coast College baseball coach John Altobelli, his wife, Keri, and their daughter Alyssa; Christina Mauser, who helped Bryant coach her daughter’s basketball team; and Sarah Chester and her daughter Payton. Alyssa and Payton were Gianna’s teammates.
The crash generated lawsuits and counter-actions.
On the day that a massive memorial service took place at Staples Center, where Bryant played most of his career, Vanessa Bryant sued Zobayan and the companies that owned and operated the helicopter for alleged negligence and the wrongful death of her husband. and his daughter. The families of other victims sued the helicopter companies, but not the pilot.
Vanessa Bryant said Island Express Helicopters Inc., which operated the aircraft, and its owner, Island Express Holding Corp., had not properly trained or supervised Zobayan. She said the pilot had been reckless and negligent to fly in the fog and should have aborted the flight.
Zobayan’s brother Berge Zobayan said Kobe Bryant knew of the risks of flying in a helicopter and his survivors were not entitled to damages from the pilot. Island Express Helicopters Inc. denied responsibility and said the crash was “force majeure” that it could not control.
The company also challenged two FAA air traffic controllers, claiming the crash was caused by their “series of wrong acts and / or omissions.”
The counter suit claims that a controller wrongly refused Zobayan’s request for “flight following” or radar assistance, while he was proceeding in the fog. Officials said the controller terminated service because the radar could not be maintained at the aircraft’s flight altitude.
According to the lawsuit, the controller said he would soon lose radar and communications, but radar contact was not lost.
When a second controller took over, according to the lawsuit, the first controller failed to advise him of the helicopter and, since radar services were not completed properly, the pilot believed he was being followed.
Vanessa Bryant also sued the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, accusing lawmakers of sharing unauthorized photos of the crash site. California now has state law prohibiting such conduct.
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