Federal security officials on Tuesday blamed the crash of the helicopter that killed him Kobe Bryant and eight others on board last year at the pilot’s poor decision to fly in thick clouds, where he became disoriented and flew down a hill in Southern California. The National Transportation Safety Board said the low visibility likely caused pilot Ara Zobayan to become so disoriented in the thick fog north of Los Angeles that he could not perceive up and down.
The five board members also said that Zobayan, who also died in the crash, ignored his training and violated federal regulations during the 40-minute flight.
The agency announced its findings during a four-hour meeting to identify the probable causes of the tragedy – which led to widespread public mourning for the retired basketball star, launched several lawsuits and determined state legislation, and federal.
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 encountered thick fog in the San Fernando Valley in January 26, 2020. There were no signs of mechanical failure and the accident is believed to be an accident.
Investigators said they believed Zobayan had experienced a spatial disorientation known as “tilting”, which occurs in the inner ear and leads pilots to believe that straight and level aircraft are flying when in fact they are banked.
The agency criticized Zobayan’s decision to fly in the clouds, saying that Federal Aviation Administration’s standards require pilots to be able to see where they are going under the so-called Visual Flight Rules.
Board members, in a unanimous vote, also cited Zobayan’s self-induced pressure that he probably felt to end the flight for his star client, which he often flew instead of landing at a local airport. nearby, when the weather got worse than expected. Zobayan was unable to submit a backup flight plan before leaving.
“The closer you get to the destination, the more you think you can do it,” said Vice President Bruce Landsberg.
Mark J. Terrill / AP
The agency also blamed Island Express Helicopters Inc., which operated the aircraft, for inadequately reviewing and monitoring safety issues.
Just before the crash, Zobayan told the flight controllers that he was getting on the helicopter and that it almost broke the clouds. However, investigators said the helicopter was actually banked and was beginning to descend rapidly.
The aircraft had climbed abruptly and almost managed to break the fog and clouds when the helicopter suddenly turned left and plunged into the grassy, oak-strewn hills of Calabasas.
When it hit the ground, the helicopter flew at about 184 mph and descended at a speed of over 4,000 feet per minute.
The impact caused a crater and scattered debris over an area the size of a football field. The victims died immediately.
Between 2010 and 2019, there were 184 plane crashes involving space disorientation, including 20 fatal helicopter crashes, the security council said.
Board 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, which requires a high level of training, ” a certain percentage will not come out alive ”.
“What part of the cloud, when you participate in a Visual Flight Rules program, do pilots not understand?” Landsberg added.
The helicopter did not have the so-called “black box” recording devices, which were not needed.
The Safety Council is an independent federal agency that investigates transportation-related accidents, but has no enforcement powers. It presents suggestions from 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.
In the last year, experts have speculated that the crash could lead to the need for warning and ground warning systems, devices that signal when aircraft are in danger of crashing on helicopters. Democratic Congressman Brad Sherman of California last year introduced the Kobe Bryant and Gianna Bryant Helicopter Safety Act, which would lead the federal government to place these systems in all helicopters, CBS Los Angeles reports.
The helicopter in which Bryant flew did not have the system, which the safety council recommended as mandatory for helicopters. The aviation administration only requests it for air ambulances.
However, the Security Council’s chief investigator, Bill English, said on Tuesday that the system would not have been useful in the scenario in which Bryant’s helicopter crashed.
The hilly terrain, combined with the pilot’s spatial disorientation in the clouds, would have made the warning system “a confusing factor,” the Englishwoman said.
“The pilot does not know which way he is on,” said the Englishman.
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 his daughter’s basketball team; and Sarah Chester and her daughter Payton. Alyssa and Payton were Gianna’s teammates.
The collapse generated lawsuits and appeals.
On the day of a mass memorial service 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 unlawful death of her husband. his daughter. The 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 or supervise Zobayan. She said the pilot is careless and careless in flying in the fog and should have aborted the flight.
Zobayan’s brother, Berge Zobayan, said Kobe Bryant knew the dangers of helicopter flying and that his survivors were not entitled to damage from the pilot’s estate. Island Express Helicopters Inc. he denied responsibility and said the collapse was “an act of God” that he could not control.
The company also countered two air traffic controllers, saying the crash was caused by “their series of erroneous acts and / or omissions”.
Vanessa Bryant also sued the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, accusing lawmakers of distributing unauthorized photos of the crash site. California now has a state law that prohibits such conduct.