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6:57 am PT –Kobe Bryant did NOT pressure his helicopter pilot to take dangerous risks to complete his doomed flight on Jan.26, investigators said.
Pressure from an important customer can lead pilots to make bad decisions, experts say … but that wasn’t the case with Kobe.
“There was no evidence that Island Express, the air charter broker or the customer [Kobe Bryant] presses the pilot to accept the charter flight request or to complete the flight and adverse weather conditions. “
So far, NTSB investigators give the impression that the pilot suffered a condition called Spatial disorientation in the moments leading up to the crash, which made him think the plane was climbing when in fact it was descending. As one investigator put it, “the pilot does not know which side there is.”
In fact, investigators say spatial disorientation is obviously a very dangerous condition – and they want more aircraft operators to implement programs to help identify and prevent pilots from experiencing it during flight.
During the presentation Vice President Landsberg appeared to point fingers at the pilot – saying he should have recognized the danger the weather presented that day, turned around and landed at Van Nuys airport. , located a short distance from the accident site.
Developing story …
The federal agency responsible for investigating the helicopter crash that killed Kobe and Gianna bryant, along with 7 others, will announce their findings at a meeting on Tuesday – including the probable cause of the crash.
The National Transportation Safety Board will be meeting pretty much on Tuesday – and it will be open to the public, so we’ll be streaming it live here.
The NTSB has been working on the case since the plane – a Sikorsky S-76 helicopter – crashed in Calabasas January 26, 2020.
As we previously reported, the NTSB initially said preliminary findings showed no external evidence of an engine failure – and months after the investigation began, officials said the pilot could were disoriented when the plane was caught in thick fog.
The results of the autopsy showed that the pilot, Ara Zobayan, was NOT on alcohol or drugs at the time of the crash … and NTSB investigators said Zobayan’s girlfriend told them he was in great shape before the crash.
The NTSB said in June that it found evidence showing that Zobayan believed he was climbing above the fog, when in fact the helicopter was descending at a high speed.
In addition to revealing the probable cause of the crash, the NTSB is also expected to make flight recommendations for similar aircraft in the hopes of averting another tragedy.
With Kobe and Zobayan, seven others – including Kobe’s daughter, Gianna, and friends Alyssa Altobelli, Keri Altobelli, John altobelli, Christina mauser, Payton chester and Sarah chester – perished in the crash of January 26, 2020.
#TEAR
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