Pilot for Bryant faulted
Poor decision-making by the pilot likely caused the helicopter crash that killed NBA star Kobe Bryant and eight others last year, the National Transportation Safety Board said Tuesday. Investigators also faulted the company that operated the flight.
The National Transportation Safety Board concluded Tuesday that pilot Ara Zobayan’s poor decision-making likely caused the helicopter crash that killed NBA star Kobe Bryant and eight others last year.
The NTSB found that Zobayan was flying under visual flight rules, which means he had to be able to see where he was going, but decided to fly into thick clouds, where he became spatially disoriented. The NTSB identified “self-induced pressure and plan continuation bias” as likely contributing factors in Zobayan’s decision-making.
Investigators also attributed fault to the company that operated the flight, Island Express Helicopters, citing its “inadequate review and oversight of its safety management processes.”
“By most measures, the interviews that we conducted, the pilot was well thought of, well-regarded. He was the chief pilot. Had good credentials,” NTSB chairman Robert Sumwalt said during a board meeting about the findings. “I think this illustrates that even good pilots can end up in bad situations.”
The NTSB’s long-awaited findings come a little more than a year after the Sikorsky S-76B helicopter crashed into the hills near Calabasas, California, on Jan. 26, 2020.
All nine people on board died in the crash, including Bryant and his 13-yearold daughter, Gianna; John and Keri Altobelli and their daughter, Alyssa; Sarah Chester and her daughter, Payton; Christina Mauser, an assistant coach; and Zobayan. The group had been traveling to Thousand Oaks for a youth basketball game.
Experts and investigative records had long pointed to spatial disorientation as a likely factor in the crash.
NTSB investigators said Tuesday that from 2010 to 2019, the board found 194 fatal aircraft accidents related to spatial disorientation.
Over the course of a four-hour board meeting, NTSB investigators and board members also repeatedly referenced Zobayan’s decision to proceed into poor weather rather than land the helicopter at nearby Van Nuys Airport and wait it out.
Investigator-in-charge Bill English referenced this when asked if having a second pilot on board might have helped avoid the tragedy.
“We don’t see any specific factors in this accident that directly relate to single-pilot vs. dual-pilot – for example, workload,” English said. “It doesn’t take much workload to turn the helicopter around and land it at Van Nuys. It takes a good decision and good support to do that.”
English also said that while investigators found deficiencies in Island Express Helicopter’s safety procedures, it is not considered a “rogue” or “problem” company.
Investigators added that there is no evidence to suggest that the actions of the air traffic controllers contributed to the crash in any way,
Bryant, who was 41, was wellknown for traveling by helicopter during his career with the Los Angeles Lakers and in retirement. He viewed it as a way to avoid the oft-gridlocked traffic in Los Angeles and the surrounding area. He had previously flown in the aircraft that crashed and traveled regularly with Zobayan.