Pilot error caused Kobe’s chopper to crash

Federal safety officials confirmed Feb. 9 that the pilot flying Bryant’s chopper became disoriented by the cloud cover, resulting in the pilot to lose control and crash.

The pilot who crashed the helicopter carrying Kobe Bryant, killing all nine aboard, made a series of poor decisions that led him to fly blindly into a wall of clouds where he became so disoriented he thought he was climbing when the craft was plunging toward a Southern California hillside, federal safety officials said Feb. 9.

The National Transportation Safety Board primarily blamed pilot Ara Zobayan in the Jan. 26, 2020 crash that killed him along with Bryant, the basketball star’s daughter and six other passengers heading to a girls basketball tournament.

Zobayan, an experienced pilot, ignored his training, violated flight rules by flying into conditions where he couldn’t see and failed to take alternate measures, such as slowing down and landing or switching to autopilot, that would have averted the tragedy. The NTSB said it was likely he felt pressure to deliver his star client to his daughter’s game at Bryant’s Mamba Sports Academy.

The agency announced the long-awaited findings during a four-hour hearing pinpointing probable causes of what went awry in the 40-minute flight.

The crash led to widespread public mourning for the retired basketball star, several lawsuits and prompted state and federal legislation.

MLB

PLAYERS TO WEAR ELECTRONIC

TRACERS, FACE DISCIPLINE » Major League Baseball players, on-field staff and nonplaying personnel who require access to them at ballparks must wear electronic tracing wristbands from the start of spring training and face discipline for violations.

Players will be encouraged to get vaccines but are not required to get them.

That was part of upgraded health protocols agreed to by Major League Baseball and the players’ association to deal with the novel coronavirus pandemic.

The 108-page operations manual, agreed to Fen. 8 and obtained by The Associated Press, expands on the 101-page version used during the shortened 2020 season.

“Every covered Individual must wear a Kinexon contact tracing device at all times while in club facilities and during club directed travel and while engaged in team activities, including group workouts and practices,” the manual says.