No voice recorder on helicopter

There was no voice recorder in the helicopter that crashed in Calabasas (Los Angeles County) on Sunday, killing the NBA legend Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna and seven other people who were on their way to a basketball tournament, according to the National Transportation Safety Board.

“There wasn’t a black box, and there isn’t a requirement to have a black box” on this helicopter, Jennifer Homendy, a member of the NTSB, said this week.

But there was an iPad in the helicopter that included the ForeFlight application, which pilots use while in the air to review flight plans, monitor weather briefings and more, she said. Investigators would review the iPad and other evidence recovered from the crash site, which extended about 500 to 600 feet away from the center of the wreckage.

“It was a pretty devastating accident scene,” Homendy said.

During the flight on Sunday morning, the fog was so thick that the pilot had to get special visual clearance from air traffic controllers before continuing on the route.

The Los Angeles Police Department had grounded its helicopters, but the pilot was licensed to fly in inclement weather and continued toward Bryant’s Mamba Academy in Thousand Oaks (Ventura County).

The investigation, which the NTSB is leading, will include a review of weather conditions, but it will encompass much more, Homendy said.

The pilot on board the helicopter, Ara Zobayan, was certified to fly under instrument conditions — navigating with the use of instruments.