U.S. safety board cites poor pilot decisions as likely cause of Kobe
Bryant fatal crash
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[February 10, 2021]
By David Shepardson
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The National
Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) on Tuesday cited the pilot's "poor
decision making" as the probable cause of the January 2020 helicopter
crash that killed retired NBA star Kobe Bryant, his daughter and seven
others, saying the pilot became disoriented and did not follow rules for
flying in cloudy weather.
The NTSB cited pilot Ara Zobayan's "poor decision to fly in excess of
airspeed." It said the weather conditions were inconsistent with adverse
weather training and resulted in the pilot's "spatial disorientation and
loss of control."
The board also cited Zobayan's "likely self-induced pressure" to
complete the flight.
Zobayan told air traffic controllers that his helicopter was climbing
out of heavy clouds when in fact it was descending, immediately before
slamming into a hillside near the town of Calabasas in California, the
agency said. Zobayan was among those killed in the crash of the Sikorsky
S-76B helicopter outside Los Angeles in hilly terrain.
Bryant, 41, an 18-time National Basketball Association all-star with the
Los Angeles Lakers, was traveling with his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna,
two other girls and several friends to a youth basketball tournament at
the time of the crash. The accident prompted an outpouring of shock and
grief from sports fans worldwide.
The NTSB also cited the company operating the doomed helicopter, Island
Express Helicopters, for "inadequate review and oversight of its safety
management processes." Lawyers for the company did not immediately
comment.
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Los Angeles county firefighters arrive on the scene of a helicopter
crash that killed retired basketball star Kobe Bryant in Calabasas,
California, U.S., January 26, 2020. REUTERS/Kyle Grillot/File Photo
The board said previously an examination of the helicopter's engines
and rotors found no evidence of catastrophic mechanical failure.
NTSB Chairman Robert Sumwalt said Zobayan should not have flown into
the clouds.
"Unfortunately, we continue to see these same issues influence poor
decision making among otherwise experienced pilots in aviation
crashes," he said. "Had this pilot not succumbed to the pressures he
placed on himself to continue the flight into adverse weather, it is
likely this accident would not have happened."
The NTSB urged the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to require
simulator training to address "procedures needed to recognize and
respond to changing weather conditions" and to convene a panel to
address pilot disorientation. It also called on the FAA to require
flight data recorders in all charter helicopters.
The FAA said it "takes NTSB recommendations very seriously" and said
it was reviewing the feasibility of requiring all charter companies
to install such recorders on their aircraft.
(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Will Dunham and Rosalba
O'Brien)
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