LOS ANGELES (AP) — U.S. safety investigators said Tuesday the pilot of Kobe Bryant’s helicopter flew through the clouds last year in an apparent violation of federal standards, & likely became disoriented just before the helicopter crashed & killed Bryant & eight others.
Robert Sumwalt, chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board, said that pilot Ara Zobayan was flying under visual flight rules, which meant that he needed to be able to see where he was going.
Zobayan piloted the aircraft to climb sharply & had nearly broken through the clouds when the Sikorsky S-76 helicopter banked abruptly & plunged into the Southern California hills below, killing all aboard.
The revelation during a hearing to announce the probable cause or causes of the crash followed plenty of finger-pointing.
Bryant’s widow blamed the pilot. She & relatives of the other victims also faulted the companies that owned & operated the helicopter.
The federal hearing focused on the long-awaited probable cause or causes of the tragedy that unleashed worldwide grief for the retired basketball star, launched several lawsuits & prompted state & federal legislation.
“I think the whole world is watching because it’s Kobe,” said Ed Coleman, an Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University professor & aircraft safety science expert.
Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, & six other passengers were flying from Orange County to a youth basketball tournament at his Mamba Sports Academy in Ventura County on Jan. 26, 2020, when the helicopter encountered thick fog in the San Fernando Valley north of Los Angeles.
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