Helicopter in Kobe Bryant crash lacked certificate to fly in fog

[rooster59]

Helicopter in Kobe Bryant crash lacked certificate to fly in fog

 

Personnel collect debris while working with investigators at the helicopter crash site of NBA star Kobe Bryant in Calabasas, California, U.S., January 28, 2020. REUTERS/Patrick T. Fallon

 

(Reuters) - The company whose helicopter crashed and killed basketball star Kobe Bryant, his daughter and seven others on Sunday was not certified to fly in foggy conditions requiring pilots to use only cockpit instruments, U.S. officials said on Friday.

 

Island Express Helicopters, which owned the Sikorsky S-76B that crashed, was limited to operating under visual flight rules, meaning pilots must be able to see clearly outside the aircraft in daylight, said Keith Holloway, a National Transportation Safety Board spokesman.

 

"The preliminary information is Island Express's 135 certificate did not allow for IFR flight," Holloway said. "No other specifics are available at this time."

 

The aircraft was equipped for instrument flying, however, multiple media reports said.

 

"There is only one way you can be in the clouds, on an I.F.R. flight plan or by accident," Kurt Deetz, a pilot and former safety manager with the company, told the New York Times, referring to instrument flight rules.

 

Holloway told Reuters on Friday that it was unknown if the pilot was in fact flying on instruments at the time of the wreck. He said a preliminary report on the crash, expected in about 10 days, may include such a determination, Holloway said.

 

The helicopter's pilot, Ara Zobayan, was licensed for instrument flying, but likely had little experience in doing so given the company's operating limitations, Deetz told Forbes separately.

 

The twin-engine helicopter slammed into a hillside in Calabasas, California, with clouds and fog limiting visibility.

 

Air traffic controllers had given Zobayan "special visual flight rules," or clearance to fly in the less-than-optimal weather around the Burbank airport.

 

The pilot had reported that conditions were sufficient for visual flight, the Times said, adding that the weather appeared to have worsened as the flight continued.

 

In a separate statement, Island Express said it was suspending all services.

 

"The shock of the accident affected all staff, and management decided that service would be suspended until such time as it was deemed appropriate for staff and customers," the charter company said.

 

The death of Bryant, 41, an 18-time NBA all-star and one of the most admired athletes around the globe, sent shockwaves through the sports and entertainment worlds.

 

(Reporting by Shubham Kalia in Bengaluru; additional reporting by Rich McKay in Atlanta; Editing by Gerry Doyle and Dan Grebler)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-02-01

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[Ventenio]

In Future News, Island Express will be sued and file bankruptcy and you have to wonder why don't have the certificate??  

 

Something still seems strange.  Why was he going so fast at the time of the crash?  Trying to gain altitude?  I know some pilots and some of them have massive egos....i hope this guy wasn't one of them.  but he had little experience flying in clouds, but ...  anyhow.  still rather shocking.  

[natway09]

There is something wrong with this story.

The plane was equipped for instrument flying (so it says)

so why do they just not say that the pilot was not instrument rated ????

[madmen]

5 minutes ago, natway09 said:

There is something wrong with this story.

The plane was equipped for instrument flying (so it says)

so why do they just not say that the pilot was not instrument rated ????

Because he was according to other sources but the companies policy of not allowing IFR flights he lost proficiency 

He pushed on probably because he didn't want to let down a famous customer 

Edited February 1, 2020 by madmen

[stevenl]

1 minute ago, natway09 said:

There is something wrong with this story.

The plane was equipped for instrument flying (so it says)

so why do they just not say that the pilot was not instrument rated ????

"so why do they just not say that the pilot was not instrument rated ????"

The pilot was, the company was not.

[legend49]

16 minutes ago, stevenl said:

"so why do they just not say that the pilot was not instrument rated ????"

The pilot was, the company was not.

Bit like having a trial with no witnesses. MAGA!

[Enoon]

4 hours ago, natway09 said:

There is something wrong with this story.

The plane was equipped for instrument flying (so it says)

so why do they just not say that the pilot was not instrument rated ????

 

He was, but his rating was probably not "current" (because of his companies policy of not allowing instrument flights he was likely outside of "recent experience" parameters) which would have made the rating, in effect, invalid.

 

He should have taken the time to maintain currency by having regular instrument proficiency checks.

 

But someone would have had to pay for them.

 

Kurt Deetz previously flew for the company, including carrying Bryant for 2 years:

 

"It’s financially demanding and time-consuming for a company to ensure it and its pilots can operate under instrument flight rules, or IFR, says Deetz, and in the Los Angeles area, with its usually balmy weather, he says it isn’t worth it for most helicopter operators, apart from emergency medical services.

“You can spend all this money and maybe get three flights a year that you do IFR,” says Deetz, 54, who has flown helicopters in the L.A. area for 30 years."

 

https://www.forbes.com/sites/jeremybogaisky/2020/01/29/pilot-in-kobe-bryant-helicopter-crash-wasnt-allowed-to-fly-by-instruments/#319a64c526ea

 

 

 

 

Edited February 1, 2020 by Enoon

[Captain Monday]

The article explains a lot and thoroughly. The pilot most likely unintentionally continued VFR flight into IFR conditions and lost control. I'm very familiar with the local area and weather this is a great tragedy and barring some mechanical failure not yet reported the pilot had many diversion options available prior to getting up into the coastal mountains west of the 101 Freeway that were socked in by low ceilings and fog that morning.  

[Tug]

55 minutes ago, Captain Monday said:

The article explains a lot and thoroughly. The pilot most likely unintentionally continued VFR flight into IFR conditions and lost control. I'm very familiar with the local area and weather this is a great tragedy and barring some mechanical failure not yet reported the pilot had many diversion options available prior to getting up into the coastal mountains west of the 101 Freeway that were socked in by low ceilings and fog that morning.  

Imo spot on flying vfr in ifr conditions flying can be dangerous rip to all the lost souls and condolences to all affected

[tifino]

first an L100 

 

and then this S76

 

 

who is the third one going to be? 

 

unless go back many decades to a Lincoln crash... 

 

DC3 crash into hills in cloud 

 

 

 

all due to hitting unexpected obstacles, in extremely low visibility conditions...

[Elkski]

 I have not followed this story but from the beginning I imagined the pilot was trying to decend to find the bottom of the clouds but there was no bottom.   Were they  intending to land at an IFR facility? Or right near the basketball game?

[madmen]

2 hours ago, Captain Monday said:

The article explains a lot and thoroughly. The pilot most likely unintentionally continued VFR flight into IFR conditions and lost control. I'm very familiar with the local area and weather this is a great tragedy and barring some mechanical failure not yet reported the pilot had many diversion options available prior to getting up into the coastal mountains west of the 101 Freeway that were socked in by low ceilings and fog that morning.  

Doesn't appear to be loss of control. Looking at the pic (forward trajectory) he was in control and in straight and level flight, he just flew into terrain in fog 

A chopper falls like a brick if out of control. Sadly he missed clearing terrain by 20 meters 

Edited February 1, 2020 by madmen

[NanLaew]

Ultimately it would appear to be a bad judgement call by a pilot who although IFR qualified and flying a machine that was possibly IFR enabled, didn't keep that ticket current and took a chance based on years of flying locally that supported a sadly misguided notion that visibility never gets that bad that quick. Couldn't go up or around the clouds so opted to try and go under them in hilly terrain? If this is the case, I wonder why going back appears not to have been an option either.

[sandrabbit]

1 hour ago, NanLaew said:

Ultimately it would appear to be a bad judgement call by a pilot who although IFR qualified and flying a machine that was possibly IFR enabled, didn't keep that ticket current and took a chance based on years of flying locally that supported a sadly misguided notion that visibility never gets that bad that quick. Couldn't go up or around the clouds so opted to try and go under them in hilly terrain? If this is the case, I wonder why going back appears not to have been an option either.

if that is the case it's better to tell ATC that you're climbing until you have VFR conditions above cloud and then  descend under their radar guidance. I had a fixed wing private pilots licence but under instruction from an instructor we flew through some marginal weather to get to our destination airport. It is really hard work concentrating on instruments totally as a VFR licensed pilot and you only do a couple of hours to get your licence flying with foggles (glasses that make sure you can only see the instrument panel). I heard loads of stories about many helicopters landing on golf courses when the weather closed in ( heard 1 in contact with Swansea tower) landed a few miles away.

 

Single pilot and complicated helicopter with stress from passengers behind must be really hard work.

[Captain Monday]

6 hours ago, madmen said:

Doesn't appear to be loss of control. Looking at the pic (forward trajectory) he was in control and in straight and level flight, he just flew into terrain in fog 

A chopper falls like a brick if out of control. Sadly he missed clearing terrain by 20 meters 

There was a high rate of descent reported variously and the NTSB stated at a press conference it crashed in a left turning decent of "more than 2000 FPM". So likely not CFIT if they had already departed controlled flight. If you ever see a Helicopter on a normal approach they descend very gradually, watching them practice autorotations is truly scary. I have actually never been on one. I wouldn't do it for sightseeing maybe for Heli-Skiing. 

[Captain Monday]

7 hours ago, Elkski said:

 I have not followed this story but from the beginning I imagined the pilot was trying to decend to find the bottom of the clouds but there was no bottom.   Were they  intending to land at an IFR facility? Or right near the basketball game?

They were planning to land at Camarillo Airport. LATimes reported this helicopter had flown the same trip two dozen times since 2018. Diverting from the normal routes, which pretty much follow highways , due to weather conditions.  Sometimes transitioning also the VFR corridor which goes directly over LAX.

But why not just drive? Even on a Sunday morning I guarantee it can take three hours to drive from SNA to Thousand Oaks. 

 

Edited February 1, 2020 by Captain Monday

[MaxYakov]

Apparently, the pilot was trying to get above the clouds at 2,400 feet and within 100 feet of breaking through he lost control. The NTSB Preliminary Report is out:

 

 

[Tug]

Trying to fly vfr in ifr conditions lost control and augered in sad it’s not the first time nor the last I’m afaraid rip and condolences to the bereaved 

[felicialee]

latest news: Kobe Bryant’s Widow Sues Helicopter Company, Claims Pilot Was Negligent In Fatal Crash

https://www.forbes.com/sites/rachelsandler/2020/02/24/kobe-bryants-widow-sues-helicopter-company-claims-pilot-was-negligent-in-fatal-crash/#32d371fb1244

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photourl

 

The lawsuit was filed the same day as a public memorial service for Bryant and his daughter at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, where he played for the Lakers during his entire 20-year career.

 

R.I.P

Kobe