Kobe Bryant pilot was NOT allowed to fly helicopter without instruments as firm suspends all flights after crash
THE PILOT flying Kobe Bryant’s doomed helicopter was not legally allowed to fly in the foggy conditions last Sunday, according to reports.
Ara Zobayan was certified to fly using only instruments – but company rules mandated at least three miles of visibility and limited cloud ceiling.
Island Express Helicopters, had a federal certification limiting pilots to operate under visual flight rules, according to The New York Times.
The Sikorsky S-76B helicopter was outfitted with the proper sophisticated instrumentation to allow a pilot to fly with instruments.
But the document legally permitting the procedure was reportedly not held by Island Express.
The company announced it had grounded all of their flights in a statement yesterday, reports the New York Post.
They said: “All services (regular and charter) were immediately suspended following the tragic accident on Sunday, January 26.
“The shock of the accident affected all staff, and management decided that service would be suspended.”
The service will resume at an “appropriate” time for staff and customers.
The statement added: “We are deeply saddened by this tragedy.
“Our top priority is providing assistance to the families of the passengers and the pilot.
“We hope that you will respect their privacy at this extremely difficult time.”
Pictures taken moments after the basketball legend died show incredibly foggy conditions.
Some experts say caused the pilot to become disorientated.
Shortly before the crash, Zobayan told air traffic controllers he was ascending to avoid a layer of clouds.
But the chopper ultimately plunged more than 1,000 feet at 175 mph, killing all nine passengers.
The helicopter took off from John Wayne Airport at 9.06 am and around 14 minutes later, the weather conditions worsened.
The chopper approached Burbank Airport at 9.20 am and circled the airspace over Glendale for around 15 minutes.
He spoke to air traffic controllers who were clearing the air space before setting off for his final destination in thick fog — which Zobayan asked for and got a special clearance to do.
A short time later, the pilot told air traffic controllers he was ascending through the air to avoid a cloud layer — around 2,300 feet — before the chopper came crashing down at 9.45 am.
The wreckage was found scattered across roughly 600 feet in the Santa Monica foothills on the outskirts of Calabasas, around 40 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles.
Investigators said the helicopter missed clearing the mountain by 20 or 30 feet.
Several helicopter pilots have told Sun Online that the crash appears to be a case of spatial disorientation.
Some experts have said Zobayan might have become disorientated from the heavy fog.
But pilot Doug Solbrekken pointed out the absence of a co-pilot can be a risk – even though it’s not legally required.
“If you get into poor conditions, the workload for one pilot can be too high,” he told the Times.
“I can’t tell you how many times I’ve flown as the second pilot and had to help correct something.”
Passengers often opt for just one pilot due to the cost which can be technically disastrous.
The National Transportation Safety Board said they would investigate everything from the pilot’s history to the helicopter’s engines.
Zobayan was commercially certified as a pilot and certified as a flight instructor.
Island Express Helicopters confirmed he worked “with the company for over 10 years and has over 8,000 flight hours.”
Kurt Deetz, a pilot who flew for Bryant dozens of times in the same helicopter that crashed, said permission to fly in the area was common.
“It happened all the time in the winter months in LA,” Deetz said. “You get fog.”
One witness who saw the crash said: “Out of the fog came a helicopter and it slammed into the mountainside about 200 feet from where we were standing.
“We were close enough that we could feel the air from the propellers. There was a huge fireball.”
It was revealed after the crash the downed helicopter was missing the terrain awareness warning system (TAWS) to warn pilots if they are flying too close to obstacles.
The NTSB previously recommended the Federal Aviation Administration ensure helicopters with six or more passengers have this technology installed.
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But but the federal agency refused.
It was revealed on Tuesday that the “Mamba Chopper” was missing a black box recording system that most airplanes have — although the equipment isn’t legally mandated for helicopters.
Though TAWS would have been helpful for the chopper to have, officials said there’s no guarantee it would have prevented the fatal crash.
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