Posted on 01/30/2020 7:15:21 AM PST by Moonman62
The helicopter that crashed Sunday killing basketball star Kobe Bryant and eight others was owned by a charter company that only operated under visual flight rules, and its pilots were not permitted to fly solely based on their cockpit gauges if they encountered weather that limited visibility, a former pilot for the company told Forbes.
The pilot of the doomed flight, Ara Zobayan, was licensed to fly by cockpit instruments, but he likely had little real-world experience in doing so given the operating limitations of Island Express Helicopters, says Kurt Deetz, a former pilot for the company who flew Bryant for two years.
On a morning when heavy fog and low clouds were reported in parts of the Los Angeles area, and law enforcement agencies and helicopter tour companies weren’t flying their choppers, the last radio communication from Zobayan to air traffic controllers was that he was climbing to try to get above a layer of clouds.
“I don’t think he had any actual [experience] inside the clouds,” says Deetz, who notes that it can be unnerving for pilots limited to operating under visual flight rules, or VFR. “You spend your whole career thinking, ‘I shouldn’t do this.’ ”
(Excerpt) Read more at forbes.com ...
Thanks. Good info. I still think maybe hitting the mountain at 10mph instead of 170mph might have been a better option for them.
Thanks for the explanation.
That would explain why Kobe’s helicopter was flying in circles while it was holding.
I see police helicopters do the same. Now I know why.
My second flight up, practicing MCAS, went into cross control spin. Spent the rest of the day learning how to recover from spins.
Unfortunately, we dont know why he was going 160 knots and what was going through the pilots mind at the time...no bad pun intended.
Sounds like the company is trying to put all the blame on the pilot and everything else.
The Kennedy that went down in the atlantic I believe had a similar problem. His pilot was sick but Kennedy was a pilot without instrument rating, and he went at night over ocean. He believed his eyes and feelings and got into trouble. I was amazed at how EVERYONE who teaches pilots knows exactly what happens...Correct something that is not wrong, figure that out and over-correct, and every correction afterward does not work as hoped. Crash follows and there is even a general time frame as when.
Sad.
DK
Does Island Express also operate ferries to Catalina?
An IFR rating is not legally required for a commercial pilot license though I would guess that 90+% of those employed do have such a rating. For example, numerous banner and glider towing pilots are employed without an IFR rating for obvious reasons.
Bfl
Pilot error. The chopper was not equipped to fly in that weather, whether the pilot was qualified or not.
Exactly.
Having an instrument rating only means you passed an instrument check ride at one point in time. Proficiency takes regular practice, just like owning and operating a firearm you intend to carry.
Now, the company that owned/operated that aircraft without a radar altimeter installed (a relatively cheap investment) will probably and rightfully so, be sued out of existence. That aircraft should have never broken contact with the ground given the weather conditions, limitations of its equipment and restrictions to VFR only flight.
Correct-a-mundo. The pilot had -IIRC- over 8000 hours. Clearly able. Video shot moments before the crash showed them flying low and slow between the low clouds and spotty fog on the ground.
I’m still betting on mechanical failure.
But that wasn't the claim made in the headline. They used was is often labeled as journalistic license, but is in reality, lying. 8>)
That is where the big money comes into play, especially when the jury is from LA county , made up of former Kobe fans.
Great point. I suspect there will be a private deal. His wife will pay out to make the issue go away.
His widow now controls his business investments and image rights. She might end up being a billionaire in the not too distant future.
I did not know that. Thanks for the info. I certainly would not top be a passenger in a complex aircraft like that helicopter if the pilot was not instrument rated and on the top of his game.
The pilot was certified as a flight instructor for helicopter instrument flight.
Shame on Kobe if he was aware of this and still boarded with his daughter and friends.
This is very likely what happened. Money and fame decide too often ignoring common sense.
best most accurate unvarnished commentary regarding the
Kobe Bryant S-76B Crash anywhere on the interwebs
he is expecting to have a helicopter pilot on today.
7
Pilots who fly IFR need to do it frequently in order to remain proficient.
And legal.
There are currency requirements for flying IFR. Being IFR rated doesn’t give you a blank check to fly IFR whenever you want.
Even non-IFR pilots aren’t allowed to carry passengers unless they’ve made at least 3 landings in the previous X amount of days/months.
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