Posted on 06/23/2020 12:00:43 AM PDT by L.A.Justice
The pilot of the helicopter that crashed in thick fog, killing Kobe Bryant and seven other passengers, reported he was climbing when he actually was descending, federal investigators said in documents released Wednesday.
Ara Zobayan radioed to air traffic controllers that he was climbing to 4,000 feet (1,220 meters) to get above clouds on Jan. 26 when, in fact, the helicopter was plunging toward a hillside where it crashed northwest of Los Angeles.
The report by the National Transportation Safety Board said Zobayan may have “misperceived” the angles at which he was descending and banking, which can happen when a pilot becomes disoriented in low visibility.
“Calculated apparent angles at this time show that the pilot could have misperceived both pitch and roll angles,” one report stated. “During the final descent the pilot, responding to (air traffic control), stated that they were ‘climbing to four thousand.’”
(Excerpt) Read more at ktla.com ...
I guess this disorientation could happen to any pilot...
Duh, we kind of figured that out after a day or so. How much taxpayer money was spent investigating the obvious?
That's why aircraft have instruments. One would think a pilot with his experience would have been closely watching his instruments. I'm sure it's hard, though, when your brain is telling you one thing and your instruments another. This is the same way JFK, Jr., crashed his plane. Of course, he was not a particularly experienced pilot.
That is so incredibly sad
You are absolutely right.
JFK was not an experienced pilot and what is even more sad is that his wife was on board as well.
They were both very beautiful people!
JFK Jr.’s In-Laws lost two daughters.
My instructor smoked during training flights; I told her she was trying to simulate fog. She was a great pilot.
WTF didn't he just stop flying & hover down but he continued to keep flying around!
My instructor smoked during training flights; I told her she was trying to simulate fog. She was a great pilot.
I guess this disorientation could happen to any pilot...
...
It could, but there is video of him flying intentionally into the clouds, which he was not permitted to do. He’ll be found at fault.
John John chose to take a shortcut near the end of his flight over dark water with no horizon. At most it would have saved him five minutes. He was almost to his destination.
Aren’t helicopter pilots required to fly “under the hood” like conventional pilots?
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Instrument flight is hard because one has to concentrate on the instruments and ignore one’s gut sensations and chatter from traffic control and inside the aircraft. Even a moment’s distraction can have tragic consequences.
Neither the pilot nor the helicopter nor the company were allowed to make IFR flights though.
If he needed to rely on his instruments, and could no longer fly VFR, he should have returned to the airport.
Instead, he requested special VFR clearance, which is probably what doomed the flight in the fog, since he probably couldn’t actually see well enough for that clearance.
Most likely the root cause is “get there itis” with a VIP on board.
JFK never should have departed from New Jersey on that flight, but he had two harridans with him who wouldn’t even dream of being late for the sister’s trip to Martha’s Vineyard. This was no secret to employees and other travelers at Essex County Airport in New Jersey who witnessed the events at the airport before the doomed flight left that evening.
Because he was a Kennedy. They are perfect. Can do no wrong. American royalty. All that arrogance & yes, privilege made him think he was God & can do anything.
Never will understand the worship of the Kennedys; buncha criminal drunks.
You are correct sir. Before my son entered USAF pilot training, I pounded into his head, if you get vertigo, trust ONLY your instruments. On a night flight he told his IP that he was feeling vertigo. His IP told him to fight it, and trust his instruments. He did that. He told me his inner ear told him he was descending, but his instruments told him he was in straight and level flight. Now, read my tagline. 👍
"Conventional pilots", i.e. Fixed Wing (airplane) pilots are not required to fly under the hood, unless they are training to obtain an Instrument-Airplane rating. Then they undergo extensive Simulated Instrument Conditions (under the hood) training and Actual Instrument flights (in the clouds). "Fog" is clouds on the ground. Not the best place to be flying IFR (Instrument Flight Rules).
Helicopter pilots can slso obtain an Instrument-Helicopter rating by undergoing the Instrument Training in a helicopter. Kobe Bryant's pilot was Instrument Rated. However, he was not "Current", that is, he had not flown under actual or simulated Instrument conditions recently. The helo he was flying was capable of being certified for Instrument flight, bit IIRC, was neither equipped nor certified.
I have both an FAA Instrument-Airplane and a US Nsvy/USMC Standard Instrument Rating-Fixed Wing & Helicopter. During my initial Instrument training, my Instructor intentionally put me in a vertigo inducing situation. When told him I was experiencing vertigo and passed control of the aircraft to him, he waited a few seconds before announcing that HE had vertigo and I had to assume control. He wanted to see if I could fight through my vertigo and still fly.
That was one of the most difficult things I have ever done. After a lifetime of trusting your "seat of the pants" and inner ear balance to suddenly, forceably IGNORE them both and TRUST your flight instruments was almost agony. That is why actual instrument flight requires Training, recent practice and discipline.
I have hundreds of hours of Actual & Simulated Instrument flight in both Fixed-Wing and Helicopters, nearly all in multi-pilot aircraft. I've only once flown into "inadvertent IFR" in a helo, single pilot. Bad decision making on my part, getting into that situation. However, I was able to transition from visual references to watching my instruments, set a strong positive climb rate and pop out on top of the low cloud layer. i learned from that.
"There are Old Pilots and there are Bold Pilots. There are no Old, Bold Pilots"
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