An investigation into the untimely death of NBA legend Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna has found that the helicopter pilot pushed the limits of bad weather, ultimately putting them in a lethal situation.
Bryant was one of nine people who died on January 26, 2020 when their helicopter crashed into the side of a mountain, which was covered by a “wall of cloud,” according to witnesses.
The crash has since been investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board, who concluded that the crash was preventable, however, pilot Ara Zobayan may have felt pressured to continue flying due to Bryant being such a high profile client.
“Even good pilots can end up in bad situations,” NTSB Chairman Robert Sumwalt said.
Basically, the investigators concluded that the conditions were not safe to fly, which is why they have not ruled the crash an “accident.”
“We use the term crash rather than accident,” NTSB Vice Chairman Bruce Landsberg said.
“An accident (is) just something that’s unforeseen, unpredictable, if you will. Unfortunately, this wasn’t.”
However, just because it’s not an accident doesn’t mean that the deaths were on purpose, with investigators asserting that the pilot likely became disorientated by the cloud cover in the area.
“It’s not like … the pilot was flying along, didn’t know where the hills are and blundered into the side of a hill,” Sumwalt said.
The findings from the Kobe Bryant investigation will help the NTSB make ongoing safety recommendations to prevent future tragedies. From there, it is up to regulators at the Federal Aviation Administration to act on the recommendations put forward.
In addition to the deaths of the pilot Ara Zobayan, NBA icon Kobe Bryant and his daughter 13-year-old Gianna, the crash claimed the lives of her teammates Payton Chester, 13, and Alyssa Altobelli, 14, as well as Payton’s mother, Sarah Chester, 45, Alyssa’s parents Keri Altobelli, 46, and John Altobelli, 56 and assistant coach Christina Mauser, 38.
