Posted on 02/08/2020 6:57:41 AM PST by L.A.Justice
The pilot of the helicopter that crashed and killed Kobe Bryant and eight others was almost out of blinding clouds when he suddenly plunged and crashed into a Southern California hillside, investigators and aviation experts indicated.
Ara Zobayan had told air traffic control he was climbing to 4,000 feet and he rose to 2,300 feet, according to an investigative update released Friday from the National Transportation Safety Board.
The helicopter was just 100 feet from the cloud tops and conceivably would have broken through into clear air in a matter of seconds. Air traffic controllers had advised Zobayan that the cloud tops were at 2,400 feet. Camera footage later reviewed by the NTSB showed nearby clouds at that estimated height.
The NTSB update didn’t make any conclusion about what caused the Jan. 26 crash in Calabasas, northwest of Los Angeles, because the investigation remains underway and a final report isn’t expected for a year or so. However, the update did say there was no sign of mechanical failure based on wreckage examined by experts at the scene.
Investigators also believe that since a tree branch at the crash site was cut, the twin engines were working and the rotors turning at the time of impact. All four of the helicopter's blades had similar damage, the update stated.
An unidentified witness told the NTSB the hillside where the crash occurred was shrouded in mist when he heard the helicopter approaching. It sounded normal and he then saw the blue-and-white aircraft emerge from the fog moving forward and down. It started to roll to the left, and he caught a glimpse of the aircraft’s belly. Within 2 seconds, it slammed into the hillside just below him.
Veteran pilots have suggested that Zobayan became disoriented in the thick atmosphere.
The pilot’s last maneuvers suggest he tried to pop up above the clouds, and he did ascend for perhaps a minute before turning left, said Mike Sagely, a helicopter pilot in the Los Angeles area with 35 years of flying experience.
When pilots inadvertently enter clouds and try to turn instead of still ascending, “probably in the neighborhood of 80 to 90 percent of the time, it’s catastrophic,” Sagely said.
“When he went into the clouds, he had a full-on emergency,” Sagely said.
The helicopter was descending at 4,000 feet per minute and slammed into the hillside at more than 180 mph.
Air safety consultant Kipp Lau said the speed of the aircraft’s descent indicated “you’ve certainly lost control of the aircraft.”
The crash occurred as Bryant and the other passengers were flying from Orange County to Ventura County to attend a girls basketball tournament at Bryant's Mamba Sports Academy. He coached his 13-year-old daughter Gianna's team. She and two teammates died.
A public memorial for Bryant and the other victims is scheduled for Feb. 24 at the Staples Center, where Bryant starred for the Lakers. The date 2/24 corresponds with the No. 24 jersey he wore and the No. 2 worn by Gianna.
Zobayan was a regular pilot for Bryant and the chief pilot for Island Express Helicopters, with more than 8,200 hours of flight time. He was certified to fly solely using instruments — a more difficult rating to attain that allows pilots to fly at night and through clouds when the ground isn't visible — and was a pilot to other celebrities including Los Angeles Clippers star Kawhi Leonard and Kylie Jenner.
During the flight with Bryant's group, Zobayan did not report any equipment problems and sounded calm while communicating to air traffic controllers. His final transmission said he was going to climb above the clouds. Eight seconds after reaching peak altitude, he started the fateful descent.
Former Island Express pilot Kurt Deetz, who regularly flew Bryant to games at the Staples Center, said reading the NTSB's report reinforced how dangerously fast the helicopter was traveling in conditions that had prompted the Los Angeles Police Department and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department to ground their smaller copters.
“Normally in those conditions, you’re pretty cautious. You’re proceeding slowly,” Deetz said.
The impact tore the helicopter apart. All aboard died from blunt force trauma.
The 50-year-old Zobayan's most recent flight review included training on inadvertently flying into bad weather conditions. It covered how to recover if the aircraft’s nose is pointed too far up or down and what to do if the helicopter banks severely to one side. He earned satisfactory grades in the review, which took place in May 2019.
Deetz said Zobayan previously had told him that he did not have actual experience flying in clouds, despite being certified. Deetz said that isn't uncommon.
Bryant's helicopter did not have a device called the Terrain Awareness and Warning System, known as TAWS, that signals when an aircraft is in danger of hitting ground. The NTSB has recommended the system be mandatory for helicopters, but the Federal Aviation Administration only requires it for air ambulances. U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein and Rep. Brad Sherman, both California Democrats, have called for the FAA to mandate the devices.
The others killed included Orange Coast College baseball coach John Altobelli, his wife, Keri and daughter Alyssa; Bryant's friend and assistant coach, Christina Mauser; and Sarah Chester and her daughter Payton, 14. A public memorial for the Altobelli family will be held Monday at Angel Stadium in Anaheim.
From the article above:
The 50-year-old Zobayan’s most recent flight review included training on inadvertently flying into bad weather conditions. It covered how to recover if the aircraft’s nose is pointed too far up or down and what to do if the helicopter banks severely to one side. He earned satisfactory grades in the review, which took place in May 2019.
...
He was instrument rated, but flying into instrument conditions violated corporate policy and their certificate for operation.
So, am inferring that turning at high speed, low visibility is super dangerous for that reason? Centrifugal force makes you think you’re going up, not down?
...
If the turn was coordinated it would have felt like straight and level flight.
In the clouds the only way to know it’s a turn is to look at the instruments.
I flew in helicopters in the Ashau Valley in ‘Nam and understand exactly why this chopper crashed. He flew into the side of a hill that he could not see.
Something tells me this is the end of VFR-only commercial flight services...and I’m astounded they were even permitted in this day.
SUV=Smashed Unrecognizable Vehicle?
Got it. Thanks.
I think the pilot was instrument-rated but had filed for Visual bc he wanted to fly low under the clouds. I bet the fog got really thick right then as they neared the coast; sounds like the pilot got totally disoriented in the fog as well.
If true, that’s damning evidence against the pilot.
That was my impression also.
Some thoughts from an old, crusty, retired Army WO with 34 years of experience flying helos as a military and commercial pilot worldwide up until 2017.
Not throwing rocks, just observations, and very sad to see this happen.
—Possible (in this case probable) flight into Inadvertent Instrument Meteorological Conditions (IIMC) should be included in planning before every flight. The “5 C’s” need to be second nature if IIMC happens.
—Expect spatial disorientation.
—No telling what the passengers were saying/doing while the helo ascended into the clouds (pilot has one more thing to deal with....). I won’t elaborate, but can assure you, they weren’t just sitting there being quiet.
—Two pilots always better than one, especially when flying under instrument rules (comes at a cost...).
—Data recorders (voice, instrument, powertrain, etc.) add immense value to figuring out what happened and when. Also comes at a cost.
—Qualification does not mean proficiency.
—Have the balls to say, “This weather sucks, I’m turning around”. You might be looking for a job when you land, but you and your pax will be alive. (((I did it multiple times, got cursed and yelled at, but never fired))).
He would have been wise to climb as high as he could, way above the usual coastal fog that is always there this time of the year.
Instead, he was down close, trying to fly under the fog, and ran out of space as the terrain came up.
Probably went to climb, and almost had it, doing it right, then took his eyes off the instruments, looking out the windshield, and used his middle ear to navigate rather than his eyes on the attitude indicator.
pilot error, 100%.
happens real fast, in real time, no do overs.
Xactly!
“VRF pilot flying well beyond his capabilities in IFR weather.”
Per the article...”He was certified to fly solely using instruments — a more difficult rating to attain that allows pilots to fly at night and through clouds when the ground isn’t visible...”
I may be misunderstanding what that means because there could be different levels of “certified”, but I think he was IFR rated. Still...he was flying VFR in IFR wx.
Suicidal Utility Vehicle? They leap off roads and into the path of oncoming tractor trailers.
Thanks, I missed that.
If the pilot was flying for pay, he had to have a Commercial license, and to get a Commercial license you have to have an Instrument rating.
Deetz said Zobayan previously had told him that he did not have actual experience flying in clouds, despite being certified.
You practice with a hood until keeping the copter right is 2nd nature. In sudden blind situations your inner ear can get ahead of your eyes on the instruments.
Still...the pilot had never flown in clouds before...IFR rated or not. That doesn’t sound “qualified” to me.
Yeah, but then what?
They were on their way to Camarillo Airport, which is near to the coast. If the inland mountains where obscured by clouds, then Camarillo most certainly would also have been completely covered in marine layer fog.
He might have been able to punch through to clear air above, but would have been trapped on top with nowhere to go but back to SNA.
He was IFR-rated, but the company he worked for was forbidden from operating commercial IFR flights. This is not unusual for this area given that the weather in SoCal is mostly clear. IFR commercial flight insurance is prohibitively expensive, which is why helo charters in SoCal operate VFR-only.
Interesting. I’d read the company was VFR flight only, but didn’t know the insurance angle. Thanks.
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