As today’s the day we lost a legend to an unfortunate accident which no one ever imagined would happen. Many of the fans still believe that the tragedy that killed Basketball Star player Kobe Bryant and eight other people including his 13 year old daughter, Gianna Bryant, could have been avoided, if the helicopter was equipped with a safety system such as Terrain Awareness and Warning System (TAWS), a technology that warns pilots if they are flying too close to the ground or other obstacles they are unaware about.
So, whether it could have been avoided, the answer to this is No. As per National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), responsible for investigating transportation accidents and making safety recommendations, confirmed that the accident that claimed the lives of Bryant and his other passengers, couldn’t have been prevented even if the helicopter was equipped with the TAWS.
As per NTSB, the prime reason for the crash was a result of confusion that the pilot faced while cruising through a dense cloudy fog in hilly terrain. The pilot, Ara Zobayan, was fully aware of the hilly terrain which made him attempt to fly above cloud cover to avoid hilly terrain. But due to heavy clouds, he became “spatially disorientated” due to which he was confused about the direction in which he was moving. He told air traffic controller that he was ascending but in fact he was descending to the ground. So, the aircraft was not at all in control of the pilot.
The TAWS safety system is useful when the aircraft is in control of the pilot but is unaware of the landscape around it. Therefore, it wouldn’t have prevented the crash.
The Chairman of NTSB, Mr. Robert Sumwalt, told that the pilot had been flying under visual flight orders or VFR which legally prohibited him from penetrating the clouds. This was a clear violation of federal standards, he said. Island Express Helicopters, the company that operated the helicopter Sikorsky-76 in which Kobe Bryant was cruising, was issued the certification by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) which only allowed its pilots to fly visually, meaning they must have at least a half-mile of visibility in daytime and be able to see the ground.
The pilot was also criticised by the investigators for the reason that he banked the helicopter to the left instead of moving straight up to escape bad weather.
In all, the only thing that could have saved him was if he had decided to check the weather and decided that flying in dense fog would be too big a risk, he could’ve driven.
FAQs
Was the pilot of Kobe Bryant’s chopper an experienced one?
Yes. Ara Zobayan, who was among the dead, was an FAA certified pilot. He also had certification to fly in low visibility with the use of his equipment. As of July 2019, he had a total flight time of 8,200 hours. Moreover, he had a total flight time of 1200 hours in the Sikorsky-76 Helicopter which he had flown for Kobe Bryant.
Where did Kobe Bryant’s chopper crash?
At Calabasas, California
What was the total net worth of Kobe Bryant?
His total net worth at the time of death was about $600 million, according to Forbes.
Was Kobe Bryant the richest basketball player?
No. Michael Jordan is the richest NBA player with a net worth of US $1.7 billion, according to Forbes.
When and where was Kobe Bryant born?
On 23rd August 1978 in Philadelphia, USA
When and at what age did Kobe Bryant retire from basketball?
On 13th April, 2016, at the age of 35
Which team did Kobe Bryant play for?
He played for Los Angeles Lakers