Weather likely disoriented pilot in helicopter crash that killed Kobe Bryant, NTSB says
By
Mark Puleo, AccuWeather staff writer
Published Jun 18, 2020 6:36 PM EDT
On Jan. 27, the National Transportation Safety Board began investigating why the chopper carrying Kobe Bryant and eight others crashed in Calabasas, California.
“Ok And weather look ok tomorrow?” one text message read.
“Just checked not the best day tomorrow but it is not as bad as today,” was the response.
Those were two of the final text messages basketball legend Kobe Bryant received the night before his fatal helicopter crash. The messages were part of a conversation in a group chat involving Bryant, Patti Taylor, the operations manager of OC Helicopters, who sent the first text message, and Ara Zobayan, the pilot of the doomed helicopter, who sent the response at 5:24 p.m. on Jan. 25.
In this Jan. 26, 2020 file photo firefighters work the scene of a helicopter crash where former NBA star Kobe Bryant died, in Calabasas, Calif. Federal investigators say wreckage from the helicopter that crashed last month and killed Bryant, his daughter and seven others did not show any outward evidence of engine failure, the National Transportation Safety Board said Friday, Feb. 7, 2020. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill,File)
At 7:30 the next morning, Zobayan texted the group again.
“Morning Weather look ok,” the message read.
The messages, along with an assortment of other investigative evidence, were released to the public on Wednesday by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) about five months after the accident.
Less than two hours after those morning texts, the chopper carrying Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and six other passengers plunged into a hillside in Calabasas, California. According to the NTSB report, the Sikorsky S-76B helicopter had no signs of engine failure or mechanical malfunction.
Rather, the NTSB reported that poor visibility from the thick fog in the area caused Zobayan to misperceive his flight angles and become disoriented.
According to a transcript included in the 1,700 pages of released material, Zobayan had communicated with air traffic controllers just moments before the crash that he was climbing to 4,000 feet. However, rather than flying above the cloud layer as he had told air traffic controllers he was in the process of doing, Zobayan was unknowingly hurtling the chopper into a steep and fatal descent toward the foothills of the Santa Monica Mountains.
“Calculated apparent angles at this time show that the pilot could have misperceived both pitch and roll angles," the report said. "During the final descent the pilot, responding to [air traffic control], stated that they were climbing to four thousand," the report continued, referring to an altitude of 4,000 feet.
Matthew Conley, the last air-traffic controller to talk to Zobayan, said he thought “the circumstances were beyond control of anyone in this building.”
Investigators concluded that all nine victims perished on impact and not in the ensuing flames. Debris from the accident spanned hundreds of feet.
An anonymous Los Angeles Fire Department captain, who is also a private pilot, contributed to the NTSB report in an email and provided insight on the conditions of the area.
“The topography of the area near the crash site is predisposed to channel fog up from the coast,” he said. “It is not uncommon at various times of the year for fog that is normally held to the coast by the coastal mountains to funnel up Malibu Canyon and spread out into the small valley and fill it like a bowl.”
Shortly after the accident, AccuWeather Meteorologist Danielle Knittle said, an onshore flow led to the development of low clouds and fog that settled into the area that weekend. The cloud ceiling was around 1,100 feet that Sunday morning, which would have made for poor visibility even in fog-free areas.
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Eyewitnesses told the NTSB that they recalled seeing the helicopter flying notably low that day, temporarily at or below the cloud line before dipping higher into the heavy clouds.
In the months since the tragedy, fellow pilots have shared that Zobayan was an expert, experienced pilot who was known for being warm and friendly with celebrities such as Bryant. However, David Harvey, a fellow pilot at Island Express, the company they flew for, noted that Zobayan took some risks flying in adverse weather that others might have avoided.
“He was a good pilot. He was a safe pilot for the most part," Harvey said. "But he did take chances that I wouldn’t take.”
The release of evidentiary documents is in line with the usual NTSB investigation timeline. A full, final report is expected in 12 to 24 months, which will include analysis and conclusions on the decisions that led to the accident.
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
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News / Weather News
Weather likely disoriented pilot in helicopter crash that killed Kobe Bryant, NTSB says
By Mark Puleo, AccuWeather staff writer
Published Jun 18, 2020 6:36 PM EDT
On Jan. 27, the National Transportation Safety Board began investigating why the chopper carrying Kobe Bryant and eight others crashed in Calabasas, California.
“Ok And weather look ok tomorrow?” one text message read.
“Just checked not the best day tomorrow but it is not as bad as today,” was the response.
Those were two of the final text messages basketball legend Kobe Bryant received the night before his fatal helicopter crash. The messages were part of a conversation in a group chat involving Bryant, Patti Taylor, the operations manager of OC Helicopters, who sent the first text message, and Ara Zobayan, the pilot of the doomed helicopter, who sent the response at 5:24 p.m. on Jan. 25.
In this Jan. 26, 2020 file photo firefighters work the scene of a helicopter crash where former NBA star Kobe Bryant died, in Calabasas, Calif. Federal investigators say wreckage from the helicopter that crashed last month and killed Bryant, his daughter and seven others did not show any outward evidence of engine failure, the National Transportation Safety Board said Friday, Feb. 7, 2020. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill,File)
At 7:30 the next morning, Zobayan texted the group again.
“Morning Weather look ok,” the message read.
The messages, along with an assortment of other investigative evidence, were released to the public on Wednesday by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) about five months after the accident.
Less than two hours after those morning texts, the chopper carrying Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and six other passengers plunged into a hillside in Calabasas, California. According to the NTSB report, the Sikorsky S-76B helicopter had no signs of engine failure or mechanical malfunction.
Rather, the NTSB reported that poor visibility from the thick fog in the area caused Zobayan to misperceive his flight angles and become disoriented.
According to a transcript included in the 1,700 pages of released material, Zobayan had communicated with air traffic controllers just moments before the crash that he was climbing to 4,000 feet. However, rather than flying above the cloud layer as he had told air traffic controllers he was in the process of doing, Zobayan was unknowingly hurtling the chopper into a steep and fatal descent toward the foothills of the Santa Monica Mountains.
“Calculated apparent angles at this time show that the pilot could have misperceived both pitch and roll angles," the report said. "During the final descent the pilot, responding to [air traffic control], stated that they were climbing to four thousand," the report continued, referring to an altitude of 4,000 feet.
Matthew Conley, the last air-traffic controller to talk to Zobayan, said he thought “the circumstances were beyond control of anyone in this building.”
Investigators concluded that all nine victims perished on impact and not in the ensuing flames. Debris from the accident spanned hundreds of feet.
An anonymous Los Angeles Fire Department captain, who is also a private pilot, contributed to the NTSB report in an email and provided insight on the conditions of the area.
“The topography of the area near the crash site is predisposed to channel fog up from the coast,” he said. “It is not uncommon at various times of the year for fog that is normally held to the coast by the coastal mountains to funnel up Malibu Canyon and spread out into the small valley and fill it like a bowl.”
Shortly after the accident, AccuWeather Meteorologist Danielle Knittle said, an onshore flow led to the development of low clouds and fog that settled into the area that weekend. The cloud ceiling was around 1,100 feet that Sunday morning, which would have made for poor visibility even in fog-free areas.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP
Eyewitnesses told the NTSB that they recalled seeing the helicopter flying notably low that day, temporarily at or below the cloud line before dipping higher into the heavy clouds.
In the months since the tragedy, fellow pilots have shared that Zobayan was an expert, experienced pilot who was known for being warm and friendly with celebrities such as Bryant. However, David Harvey, a fellow pilot at Island Express, the company they flew for, noted that Zobayan took some risks flying in adverse weather that others might have avoided.
“He was a good pilot. He was a safe pilot for the most part," Harvey said. "But he did take chances that I wouldn’t take.”
The release of evidentiary documents is in line with the usual NTSB investigation timeline. A full, final report is expected in 12 to 24 months, which will include analysis and conclusions on the decisions that led to the accident.
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
Report a Typo