LOS ANGELES (AP) – Helicopter pilot who crashed into a southern California hill last year and killed Kobe Bryant and seven other passengers, went against his training and violated flight rules when flying inside thick clouds, U.S. security officials reported Tuesday during a targeted hearing in locating the probable causes of the crash.
Probably the pilot Ara Zobayan was so disoriented that he could not discern from below, the investigators of the National Board of Transportation Security concluded.
The agency criticized Zobayan’s decision to fly in the clouds, saying it violated federal rules that required him to be able to see where he was going before the helicopter crashed during a 40-minute flight. Zobayan was one of nine people killed, including Bryant’s daughter Gianna, 13.
The pilot went against his training by spatially disorienting himself between thick clouds, a condition that can happen to pilots with low visibility when they cannot know from below or discern how the plane is operating, members of the advice.
Just before the January 26, 2020 crash, Zobayan told flight controllers he was boarding the helicopter and had almost broken the clouds.
But NTSB investigators said the Sikorsky S-76 helicopter was in fact banked and was beginning to descend with increasing magnitude, investigators said.
They also said Zobayan did not submit a safety flight plan and chose not to land at a nearby local airport to wait for the bad weather.
Between 2010 and 2019, there were 184 aircraft crashes that involved a spatial disorientation, including 20 deadly helicopter crashes, the NTSB said.
NTSB member Michael Graham said Zobayan ignored his training and added that as long as helicopter pilots continue to fly in the clouds without relying on instruments, it requires a high level of training. ” a certain percentage will not come out alive “.
“What part of the cloud, when you use a visual flight rules program, don’t pilots understand?” added NTSB Vice President Bruce Landsberg.
Tuesday’s federal hearing focused on the long-awaited probable cause or causes of the tragedy that triggered global grief for the retired basketball star, initiated several lawsuits and pushed for state and federal legislation.
Bryant, Gianna and six other passengers flew from Orange County to a youth basketball tournament at their Mamba Sports Academy in Ventura County on January 26, 2020, when the helicopter encountered thick fog in the San Fernando Valley, north of Los Angeles.
There were no signs of mechanical failure and the crash was believed to be an accident, the National Transportation Safety Board said earlier. The helicopter had no recording devices called “black box,” which were not necessary.
The board during your hearing is likely to make non-binding recommendations to avoid future blockages.
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.
Over the past year, experts have speculated that the crash could lead to the need for warning and terrain knowledge systems, devices that indicate when planes are in danger of crashing into helicopters.
The helicopter where Bryant was flying did not have the system, which the NTSB has recommended as mandatory for helicopters. The FAA only requires it for air ambulances.
However, Bill English, NTSB’s chief investigator, said on Tuesday that the system probably would not have been useful in the scenario in which Bryant’s helicopter crashed.
The mountainous terrain, combined with the pilot’s spatial disorientation in the clouds, would have been “a confusing factor,” English said.
“The pilot doesn’t know what the route is,” English said.
Federal investigators said Zobayan, an experienced pilot who often flew Bryant, may have “misperceived” the angles in which he descended and banked, which can happen when pilots become disoriented with little visibility.
On Tuesday, investigators also accused Zobayan of benching on the left instead of climbing straight while trying to get out of bad weather.
The other dead in the crash were John Altobelli, baseball coach at Orange Coast College, 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.
The day a massive memorial service was held was held at the 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 unjust deaths of her husband and daughter. Families 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.”
Vanessa Bryant also sued the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, accusing lawmakers of sharing unauthorized photos of the accident site. California now has state law prohibiting such conduct.
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Koenig reported from Dallas. Associated Press writer Tom Krisher collaborated in Detroit.