LOS ANGELES – U.S. security investigators said Tuesday the pilot of Kobe Bryant’s helicopter flew through the clouds last year in an apparent violation of federal regulations, probably disoriented just before the helicopter crashed and killed 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 was piloting the plane to climb abruptly and had almost broken the clouds when the Sikorsky S-76 helicopter crashed abruptly and crashed into the hills of Southern California below, killing everyone on board.
The helicopter did not have recording devices called “black box”, which were not necessary.
The revelation during a hearing to announce the probable cause or causes of the accident followed with numerous indications.
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 the risks of flying. Helicopter companies said the fog time before the helicopter hit land was an act of God and blamed air traffic controllers.
The federal hearing focused on the expected probable cause or causes of the tragedy that triggered the global pain for the retired basketball star, initiated several lawsuits and pushed for state and federal legislation.
Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, and six other passengers were traveling from Orange County to a youth basketball tournament at their Mamba Sports Academy in Ventura County on January 26, 2020, when the helicopter crashed. encountered a thick fog in the San Fernando Valley north of Los Angeles.
Zobayan climbed abruptly and nearly broke the clouds as the helicopter crashed abruptly and plunged into the Calabasas hills below, killing the nine on board instantly before the flames engulfed the wreckage.
There were no signs of mechanical failure and the crash was believed to be an accident, the NTSB has previously said.
The board is likely to make non-binding recommendations to avoid future blockades. The NTSB is an independent federal agency that investigates transportation-related accidents, but has no powers to enforce obligations.
It sends 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 after the investigation into the crash that killed Bryant could be that helicopters had warning and terrain awareness systems, devices that signaled when planes were in danger of colliding.
The helicopter flying Bryant did not have the system, which the NTSB has recommended as mandatory for helicopters. The FAA only requires it for air ambulances.
Federal lawmakers have sponsored the Kobe Bryant and Gianna Bryant Helicopter Safety Act to force devices on all helicopters carrying six or more passengers.
Former NTSB President James Hall said he expects the FAA to need the systems as a result of the crash.
“Historically, it has required high-profile tragedies to advance the regulatory needle,” 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, discouraged what it called a “one-size-fits-all” method.
President and CEO James Viola said in a statement that requiring industry-specific equipment would be “ineffective” and “potentially dangerous.”
Although Zobayan was flying at low altitude in a mountainous area, the alert system may not have prevented the crash, said Ed Coleman, an Embry-Riddle safety science professor.
The rough terrain could have caused the alarm to “fire constantly” and distract the pilot or prompt 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 was going down and banking, which can happen when pilots become disoriented with low visibility, according to NTSB documents .
The other dead in the crash were John Altobelli, an Orange Coast College baseball coach, his wife, Keri, and his 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 has generated lawsuits and lawsuits.
On the day of a mass memorial service at the Staples Center, where Bryant spent most of his career, Vanessa Bryant sued Zobayan and the companies that own and operate the helicopter for alleged negligence and unlawful deaths. 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 operated the plane, and its owner, Island Express Holding Corp., did not properly train or supervise Zobayan. He said the pilot was careless and careless about flying in fog and that he should have aborted the flight.
Zobayan’s brother, Berge Zobayan, has said that Kobe Bryant knew the risks of flying by helicopter and that his survivors are not entitled to damage to the pilot’s estate. Island Express Helicopters Inc. he denied responsibility and said the accident was “an act of God” he could not control.
The company also countered two FAA air traffic controllers, saying the crash was caused by its “series of erroneous acts and / or omissions.”
The consideration states that a driver unduly denied Zobayan’s request for “flight tracking” or radar assistance while proceeding in the fog. Officials have said the driver terminated the service because the radar could not be maintained at the altitude the plane was flying.
According to the lawsuit, the driver said he would lose radar and communications soon, but no contact with radar was lost.
When a second driver took over, the lawsuit said, the first driver was unable to report him on the helicopter and as the radar services did not end properly, the pilot believed they were following him.
Vanessa Bryant also sued the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, accusing lawmakers of sharing unauthorized photos of the crash site. California now has a state law that prohibits such conduct.