Kobe Bryant crash driver broke rules, investigators say

The helicopter pilot in the crash in which nine people were killed, including 41-year-old Kobe Byrant and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, broke the rules by flying through very thick clouds, NTSB members explained, an independent federal agency that investigates transportation accidents.

The accident occurred in Calabasas, California on January 26, 2020.

Pilot Ara Zobayan was likely so disoriented that he couldn't discern whether he was going up or down, investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board concluded.

The agency criticized Zobayan's decision to fly into the clouds, saying it violated federal regulations that required him to be able to see where he was going before the helicopter crashed during a roughly 40-minute flight.

The pilot, who also perished in the accident, became disoriented due to poor visibility.

Just before the accident, Zobayan communicated to flight controllers that the helicopter was ascending and had almost passed through the clouds.

But investigators said the Sikorsky S-76 helicopter was leaning and beginning to descend at an ever-increasing speed.

Between 2010 and 2019 there were 184 aircraft crashes, 20 of them helicopters, due to disorientation.

NTSB member Michael Graham said helicopter pilots who fly through the clouds without relying on instruments require a high level of training and a certain percentage do not get out of such situations alive.

The federal hearing focused on the probable cause or causes of the tragedy that caused the nine deaths and which has led to several lawsuits.

Bryant, Gianna and six other passengers were flying from Orange County to a youth basketball tournament at their Mamba Sports Academy in Ventura County when the helicopter encountered thick fog in the San Fernando Valley north of Los Angeles.

There were no mechanical failures

There were no signs of mechanical failure and the crash was believed to be an accident, the National Transportation Safety Board previously said.

The helicopter did not have so-called "black box" recording devices.

The board is likely to make non-binding recommendations to prevent future accidents.

He makes suggestions to agencies like the Federal Aviation Administration or the Coast Guard, which have repeatedly rejected some board safety recommendations after other disasters.

The helicopter Bryant was flying in did not have the system, which the NTSB has recommended as mandatory for helicopters.

NTSB Investigator-in-Charge Bill English said the system likely would not have been useful in the scenario where Bryant's helicopter crashed.

The mountainous terrain, combined with the pilot's spatial disorientation in the clouds, would have been "a confusing factor," English said.

"The pilot does not know which is the way up."

Federal investigators said that Zobayan, an experienced pilot who often flew in Bryant, may have "misperceived" the angles at which he was descending and leaning, something that can happen when pilots become disoriented due to poor visibility.

Investigators on Tuesday also blamed Zobayan for leaning to the left instead of ascending upward while trying to avoid bad weather.

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.

Lawsuits and counterclaims

The accident has generated lawsuits and counterclaims.

On the day of a massive memorial service at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, Vanessa Bryant sued Zobayan and the companies that owned and operated the helicopter for alleged negligence and wrongful death of her husband and daughter.

The families of other victims sued the helicopter companies but not the pilot.

Vanessa Bryant claimed that Island Express Helicopters Inc., which operated the aircraft, and its owner, Island Express Holding Corp., did not adequately train or supervise Zobayan.

And he added that the pilot was negligent in flying in the fog and should have aborted the flight.

Zobayan's brother, Berge Zobayan, explained that Kobe Bryant knew the risks of flying in a helicopter and that his survivors are not entitled to receive damage from the pilot's property.

Island Express Helicopters Inc. denied responsibility.

The company accuses two air traffic controllers, ensuring that the accident was caused by their "series of erroneous acts and / or omissions."

Vanessa Bryant also sued the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, accusing officers of sharing unauthorized photos of the crash site.

The death of Kobe Bryant made a huge impact.

He was a global star of world sport.

He played 20 NBA seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers.

It was known by the nickname of the Black Mamba.

He was the youngest player in history to be signed in the professional league, at age 17 in 1996. He won five championships and marked an era alongside players like Shaquille O'Neil and Pau Gasol.

He is the fourth-leading scorer in league history.