Basketball legend Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna,
along with seven others, were killed in a horrific helicopter crash on January 26,
2020. Investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board have been
working to determine the cause of the crash, and on February 9, 2021, they shared their results.
The NTSB determined that pilot Ara Zobayan, who also died in the crash, violated federal safety
guidelines by flying in cloudy conditions with low visibility despite not being qualified to do so.
As NTSB Chairman Robert L. Sumwalt summarized at a press conference,
"It was an issue of judgement, decision making, that led to this."
It's believed that Zobayan became spatially disoriented during the flight, unable to tell up
from down as he navigated the helicopter through thick fog. According to the Associated Press,
"Investigators said they believed Zobayan experienced a spatial disorientation
known as 'the leans,' which occurs in the inner ear and causes pilots to
believe they are flying aircraft straight and level when they are in fact banking."
The helicopter, a Sikorsky S-76B, slammed into a hillside at about 184 miles per hour,
instantly killing everyone on board and leaving an area of debris the size of a football field.
Bryant and the other passengers on board were traveling from Orange County, California,
to Ventura County for a basketball tournament at Kobe's Mamba Sports Academy.
On the morning of the helicopter crash that killed Kobe and Gianna Bryant, other air traffic was
grounded because of the foggy weather conditions, so why did pilot Ara Zobayan choose to fly?
Previously, investigators had wondered if perhaps Zobayan was under pressure from his
helicopter company, Island Express, or maybe even from Kobe himself.
"If we weren't flying in that weather, then why was anyone else flying?"
At a virtual meeting hosted by the National Transportation Safety Board on February 9,
2021, officials determined that Zobayan was likely acting on his
own desire to please his client, rather than making a decision based on outside pressure.
His friendship with Bryant may have gotten in the way of his better judgment.
Zobayan had flown Kobe and his family from place to place many times. Regardless,
officials were also careful to state that the self-induced pressure shouldn't be seen as a flaw
particular to this pilot, but rather a trait that evidence shows can affect all pilots in general.
"It's not an individual flaw identified in this pilot. This is something that the
analysis has identified as a trait of any pilot."
Even after taking off, officials said, Zobayan abandoned his training when he found himself
in danger, choosing to continue with the original route rather than declare an emergency or turn
the helicopter around. NTSB Vice Chairman Bruce Landsberg said during the meeting,
"We pretty well know what happened. We have a very
good idea of why it happened and we absolutely know how to prevent it."
He also brought up the distinction between an accident and a crash.
"An accident is just something that's unforeseen,
unpredictable, if you will. Unfortunately, this wasn't."
Federal investigators reportedly determined the death of Kobe Bryant and the eight other
passengers on board was entirely preventable, and now those involved in the investigation
are calling for significant changes in the standards for helicopter safety,
including more training for pilots and better technology.
Specifically, the National Transportation Safety Board recommended that charter helicopter pilots
should receive more simulator training on spatial disorientation to better
prepare for scenarios like the one that caused Bryant's aircraft to go down.
Additionally, the board recommended that helicopters like the one Bryant used be
"equipped with crash-resistant flight data, voice, and image recorders," according to CNN.
Although Bryant's aircraft had a voice recorder at one time,
it was reportedly removed. NTSB Chairman Robert Sumwalt told CNN,
"We feel that if certain recommendations have been implemented, the likelihood of a crash goes down."
He added, quote, "Even good pilots can end up in bad situations."
Now that the NTSB has released its recommendations, what happens next? It's
up to the Federal Aviation Administration and pilots to implement those changes.
In a statement, the FAA said it is taking the NTSB's recommendations
under serious consideration, and will issue a preliminary response to them within 90 days.
Regardless, Sumwalt said he and the rest of the NTSB will, quote,
"continue to push like crazy to get those recommendations implemented."
Bryant's wife and Gianna's mother, Vanessa Bryant,
did not immediately issue a comment on the NTSB's findings.