In the year since the helicopter carrying Kobe Bryant crashed into a hillside on a foggy morning, killing all nine on board, there have been many reports as to the cause of the tragedy. The widow of Bryant blamed the pilot. She and the families of other victims also blamed the companies that owned and operated the helicopter. The pilot’s brother did not blame Bryantbut said he knew the risks of flying. The helicopter companies said the timing was an act of God and blamed the air traffic controllers.
On Tuesday, federal safety officials are expected to announce the long-awaited probable cause of the crash that sparked global pain over the retiring basketball star, launched several lawsuits and pushed through state and federal legislation.
“I think the whole world is watching because it is about Kobe,” he said. Ed Coleman, a professor at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and an expert in safety sciences. Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, and six other passengers were flying from Orange to a youth basketball tournament in his 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. The pilot Ara Zobayan It climbed sharply and was about to cut through the clouds when the Sikorsky S-76 helicopter tilted sharply and hurtled toward the hills of Calabasas, killing all nine occupants instantly before flames engulfed the wreckage.
There were no signs of mechanical failure and it is believed to have been an accident, according to the National Transportation Safety Board. The board is likely to make non-binding recommendations to avoid future accidents when it meets remotely this Tuesday. The NTSB it is an independent federal agency that investigates accidents but does not have enforcement powers. You can only submit suggestions to agencies such as the Federal Aviation Administration or the Coast Guard, which have repeatedly rejected some of the board’s safety recommendations in the aftermath of other catastrophes.
One of the recommendations could be that helicopters have a Ground Alert and Awareness System, a device that warns when an aircraft is in danger of crashing. The helicopter did not have this system, which the NTSB has recommended as mandatory for helicopters. The FAA only requires it for air ambulances.
Helicopter model in which Kobe and the rest of the passengers were traveling.
Federal legislators have sponsored the Helicopter Safety Law
Kobe Bryant
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Gianna Bryant
to require the devices on all helicopters carrying six or more passengers. Former President of the NTSB, James HallHe said he hopes the FAA will demand the systems in the wake of the accident. “Historically, it has taken far-reaching tragedies to move the regulatory needle forward,” he said.
The devices, known as TAWS, cost more than $ 35,000 per helicopter and require training and maintenance. The Helicopter Association International he advised against what he called a “one size fits all” approach. Its president and CEO, James Viola, said in a statement that imposing a specific team on the entire sector is “ineffective” and “potentially dangerous.”
Although Zobayan flying low in a mountainous area, the warning system might not have prevented the accident, he said Coleman. The terrain could have caused the alarm to “sound constantly” and distract the pilot or cause him to turn down its volume or ignore it, said the Embry-Riddle safety science professor. Federal investigators said Zobayan, an experienced pilot who often flew with BryantIt may have “misperceived” the angles at which it was descending and leaning, which can occur when a pilot becomes disoriented in low visibility conditions, according to NTSB documents.
The other deceased were the Orange Coast College baseball coach, John Altobelli, his wife, Keri, And your daughter Alyssa; Christina Mauser, which helped Bryant coach your daughter’s basketball team; Y Sarah Chester And your daughter Payton. Alyssa Y Payton they were teammates from Gianna.
The accident has led to lawsuits and counterclaims. The day a massive memorial service was held at the Staples Center, where Bryant played most of his career, Vanessa
Bryant sued Zobayan and the companies that own and operate the helicopter for the negligence and wrongful death of her husband and daughter. The families of other victims sued the helicopter companies, but not the pilot.
Vanessa Bryant said Island Express Helicopters Inc., which operated the aircraft, and its owner, Island Express Holding Corp., failed to adequately train or supervise Zobayan. He said the pilot was careless and negligent flying in fog and should have aborted the flight. The brother of Zobayan said Kobe
Bryant He knew the risks of flying in a helicopter and that his survivors are not entitled to receive compensation from the pilot’s estate.
Island Express Helicopters Inc. He denied responsibility and said the accident was “an act of God” that he could not control. He also countersued two FAA air traffic controllers, saying the accident was caused by his “series of erroneous acts and / or omissions.”
