LOS ANGELES (AP) – The pilot of the helicopter that crashed last year in southern California, killing Kobe Bryant and seven other passengers, made a serious mistake when flying through dense clouds that disoriented him, US security officials said Tuesday. during a hearing in order to identify the probable causes of the accident.
Pilot Ara Zobayan violated federal standards that required him to see where he was going before the helicopter crashed during a 40-minute flight, members of the National Transportation Safety Board said. Zobayan was among nine people killed, including Bryant’s 13-year-old daughter, Gianna.
The pilot went against his training by being spatially disoriented in dense clouds, a condition that can happen to pilots in low visibility, when they cannot distinguish from the bottom up or discern which way the aircraft is tilting, council members said.
Just before the accident on January 26, 2020, Zobayan told flight controllers that he was climbing on the helicopter and almost escaped the clouds.
But NTSB investigators said the Sikorsky S-76 helicopter was in fact tilting and starting to descend in increasing magnitude, the investigators said.
There were 184 aircraft accidents between 2010-2019 involving space disorientation, including 20 fatal helicopter accidents, said the NTSB.
Tuesday’s federal hearing focused on the long-awaited probable cause or causes of the tragedy that sparked worldwide grief for the retired basketball star, launched several lawsuits and generated state and federal legislation.
“I think the whole world is watching because it’s Kobe,” said Ed Coleman, a professor at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and an expert in aircraft safety sciences.
Bryant, 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 a thick fog in the San Fernando Valley, north of Los Angeles.
There was no sign of mechanical failure and the accident was considered an accident, the National Transportation Safety Board said earlier. The helicopter did not have so-called “black box” recording devices, which were not needed.
The council, during its hearing on Tuesday, is likely to make non-binding recommendations to prevent future accidents when it meets remotely and announces its conclusions about the accident.
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 the Coast Guard, who have repeatedly rejected some of the council’s safety recommendations after other disasters.
Last year, experts speculated that the accident could lead to the requirement for warning systems and terrain perception, devices that signal when aircraft are in danger of collision, in helicopters.
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.
However, responsible NTSB investigator Bill English 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,” said English.
“The driver doesn’t know which way is up,” said English.
Federal investigators said Zobayan, an experienced pilot who used to fly in Bryant, may have “misunderstood” the angles which he was descending and tilting, which can occur when pilots are disoriented in low visibility.
On Tuesday, investigators also accused Zobayan of leaning to the left, instead of climbing directly when trying to escape bad weather.
The others killed in the accident were John Altobelli, baseball coach at Orange Coast College, his wife, Keri, and his 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 great memorial service 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 unfair deaths of her husband and daughter. Families 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. he denied responsibility and said the accident was “an act of God” that he 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”.
Vanessa Bryant also sued the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, accusing deputies of sharing unauthorized photos the accident site. California now has a state law prohibiting such conduct.
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Koenig reported from Dallas. Associated Press editor Tom Krisher of Detroit contributed.