LOS ANGELES – US security investigators said on Tuesday that the pilot of the Kobe Bryant helicopter flew through the clouds last year in an apparent violation of federal standards, probably becoming disoriented shortly before the helicopter crashed and killed Bryant and eight others .
Robert Sumwalt, president of the National Transportation Safety Board, said that pilot Ara Zobayan was flying under visual flight rules, which meant he needed to be able to see where he was going.
Zobayan piloted the aircraft to climb sharply and nearly broke through the clouds when the Sikorsky S-76 helicopter abruptly toppled and plunged into the southern California hills below, killing everyone on board.
The helicopter did not have so-called “black box” recording devices, which were not needed.
The revelation during a hearing to announce the cause or probable causes of the accident was followed by many charges.
Bryant’s widow, Vanessa, blamed the pilot. She and relatives of the other victims also blamed the helicopter’s owning and operating companies.
The pilot’s brother did not blame Bryant, but said he knew of the risks of flying. The helicopter companies said the foggy weather before the helicopter hit the ground was a divine act and they blamed air traffic controllers.
The federal hearing focused on the long-awaited cause or probable causes of the tragedy that unleashed the worldwide pain of the retired basketball star, launched several lawsuits and generated 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 their Mamba Sports Academy in Ventura County on January 26, 2020, when the helicopter encountered thick fog in San Fernando Valley north of Los Angeles.
Zobayan climbed sharply and almost broke the clouds when the helicopter abruptly tilted and plunged into the Calabasas hills below, killing all nine on board instantly before the flames engulfed the wreckage.
There was no sign of mechanical failure and the accident was considered an accident, the NTSB said earlier.
The board is likely to make non-binding recommendations to avoid future crashes. The NTSB is an independent federal agency that investigates transport-related accidents, but has no enforcement powers.
He sends suggestions to agencies like the Federal Aviation Administration or Coast Guard, who have repeatedly rejected some of the council’s safety recommendations after other disasters.
A possible recommendation after investigating the accident that killed Bryant could be that the helicopters have warning systems on the ground, devices that signal when aircraft are in danger of collision.
The helicopter Bryant was flying in did not have the system, which the NTSB recommended as mandatory for helicopters. The FAA only requires air ambulances.
Federal lawmakers sponsored the Kobe Bryant and Gianna Bryant Helicopter Safety Act to order devices on all helicopters that carry six or more passengers.
Former NTSB president James Hall said he expects the FAA to require the systems as a result of the accident.
“Historically, high-profile tragedies are needed to advance regulatory control,” he said.
The devices, known as TAWS, cost more than $ 35,000 per helicopter and require training and maintenance.
The 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 specific equipment for the entire industry would be “ineffective” and “potentially dangerous”.
Even though Zobayan was flying at low altitude in a mountainous area, the warning system may not have prevented the accident, said Ed Coleman, professor of safety science at Embry-Riddle.
The rugged terrain may have triggered the “constantly triggered” alarm and distracted the pilot or led to lower the alarm volume or ignore it, Coleman said.
Federal investigators said Zobayan, an experienced pilot who used to fly in Bryant, may have “misperceived” the angles at which he was descending and tilting, which can occur when pilots are disoriented in low visibility, according to NTSB documents.
The others killed in the accident 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 accident led to lawsuits and counter-actions.
On the day that a grand funeral ceremony 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 of other victims sued the helicopter companies, but not the pilot.
Vanessa Bryant said that Island Express Helicopters Inc., which operated the aircraft, and its owner, Island Express Holding Corp., did not adequately train or supervise Zobayan. She said the pilot was careless and negligent when flying in the fog and should have aborted the flight.
Zobayan’s brother Berge Zobayan said that Kobe Bryant was aware of the risks of flying in a helicopter and that his survivors are not entitled to damages caused by the pilot’s property. Island Express Helicopters Inc. has denied responsibility and said the accident was “an act of God” that it could not control.
The company also contested two FAA air traffic controllers, saying the accident was caused by its “series of erroneous acts and / or omissions”.
The counter-claim alleges that a controller wrongly denied Zobayan’s request for “flight tracking” or radar assistance while he continued through the fog. Officials said the controller terminated the service because the radar could not be maintained at the altitude at which the aircraft was flying.
According to the lawsuit, the controller said it would lose radar and communications soon, but the radar contact was not lost.
When a second controller took over, the suit says, the first controller did not inform him about the helicopter and, as the radar services did not shut down correctly, the pilot believed he was being tracked.
Vanessa Bryant also sued the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, accusing deputies of sharing unauthorized photos of the crash site. California now has a state law that prohibits such conduct.