AP

Pilot of Bryant helicopter tried to avoid heavy fog

Jan 28, 2020, 1:47 PM | Updated: 2:07 pm

This undated photo provided by Group 3 Aviation shows helicopter pilot Ara Zobayan, who was at the ...

This undated photo provided by Group 3 Aviation shows helicopter pilot Ara Zobayan, who was at the controls of the helicopter that crashed in Southern California, Sunday, Jan. 26, 2020, killing all nine aboard including former Lakers star Kobe Bryant. Location is not provided. (Group 3 Aviation via AP)

(Group 3 Aviation via AP)

CALABASAS, Calif. (AP) — The veteran pilot whose helicopter plunged into a Los Angeles-area hillside, killing NBA superstar Kobe Bryant and eight others, had tried to avoid fog so heavy that it had grounded police choppers, authorities said.

But even experienced pilots may have only seconds to act when they are blinded by weather, an expert said as investigators examined the wreckage for clues to Sunday morning’s crash.

The Los Angeles County coroner’s office, meanwhile, said Tuesday that all nine bodies have been recovered, and it is working to identify them.

While the investigation into the cause of the wreck was just beginning, experts and armchair pilots alike flooded social media and the airwaves with speculation, some of them suggesting that the pilot had become disoriented in the dense fog that had settled along part of the flight path.

The chartered Sikorsky S-76B was a luxury twin-engine aircraft often used by Bryant in traffic-jumping hops around the notoriously congested LA area. It was heading from John Wayne Airport in Orange County to Camarillo Airport in Ventura County when it crashed in Calabasas.

The 41-year-old former Los Angeles Laker, his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, and the other passengers were heading to Bryant’s Mamba Sports Academy, a youth sports center in Thousand Oaks where Gianna was going to play in a basketball tournament.

Also killed were John Altobelli, 56, longtime head coach of Southern California’s Orange Coast College baseball team; his wife, Keri; and daughter, Alyssa, who played on the same basketball team as Bryant’s daughter; and Christina Mauser, a girls’ basketball coach at a Southern California elementary school.

The Orange Coast baseball team planned a tribute to its coach before its season opener Tuesday afternoon, and the Lakers canceled Tuesday night’s game against the Los Angeles Clippers.

The pilot, Ara Zobayan, was the chief pilot for the craft’s owner, Island Express Helicopters. He also was a flight instructor, had more than 8,000 hours of flight time and had flown Bryant and other celebrities several times before, including Kylie Jenner.

Randy Waldman, a helicopter flight instructor who lives in Los Angeles, said the radar tracking data he has seen leads him to believe the pilot got confused in the fog and went into a fatal dive.

“Once you get disoriented your body senses completely tell you the wrong thing. You have no idea which way is up or down,” he said. “If you’re flying visually, if you get caught in a situation where you can’t see out the windshield, the life expectancy of the pilot and the aircraft is maybe 10, 15 seconds.”

Some experts raised questions about whether the helicopter should have even been flying. The weather was so foggy that the Los Angeles Police Department and the county sheriff’s department had grounded their own choppers.

“He could have turned around and gone back to a safer place with better visibility,” Waldman said. However, “a lot of times somebody who’s doing it for a living is pressured to get their client to where they have to go,” he said. “They take chances that maybe they shouldn’t take.”

The helicopter was flying around Burbank, just north of Los Angeles, when the pilot received air traffic control permission to use special visual flight rules, allowing the helicopter to fly in less-than-optimal visibility and weather.

Zobayan was told to follow a freeway and stay at or below 2,500 feet (762 meters), according to radio traffic. The pilot didn’t seem overly concerned, though at one point he asked air traffic controllers to provide “flight following” guidance but was told the helicopter was too low for that radar assistance.

About four minutes later, the pilot said he was climbing to avoid a cloud layer, Jennifer Homendy of the National Transportation Safety Board said Monday.
It was his last message to air traffic controllers. The helicopter slammed into a hillside and burst into flames.

Hormendy said investigators would look at everything, from the pilot’s history and actions to the condition of the helicopter.

“We look at man, machine and the environment,” she said. “And weather is just a small portion of that.”

Jerry Kidrick, a retired Army colonel who flew helicopters in Iraq and now teaches at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott, Arizona, said the helicopter’s rapid climb and fast descent suggest the pilot was disoriented.

“It’s one of the most dangerous conditions you can be in,” Kidrick said. “Oftentimes, your body is telling you something different than what the instruments are telling you.”

On Monday, NTSB investigators scoured the area to collect evidence, and Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies on horseback patrolled the brushy Calabasas hillside. Homendy said the NTSB expected to be on the scene for five days.

“It was a pretty devastating accident scene,” she said of the widespread wreckage. “A piece of the tail is down the hill. The fuselage is on the other side of that hill. And then the main rotor is about 100 yards (91 meters) beyond that.”

Homendy urged people with photographs of weather in the area at the time of the crash to send them to the NTSB.
___
Condon reported from New York and Koenig from Dallas. Associated Press writer Brian Melley also contributed to this story.

Related:

Petition launches to make Kobe Bryant the new NBA logo

Kobe Bryant: Remembering the final game of ‘The Black Mamba’

Tears shed, joyful times recalled at Kobe Bryant memorial

 

 

We want to hear from you.

Have a story idea or tip? Send it to the KSL NewsRadio team here.

Today’s Top Stories

AP

close up of a peleton bike pictured, a recall has been issued for some...

Associated Press

Peloton recalling more than 2M exercise bikes because the seat post assembly can break during use

The recall includes approximately 2.2 million of the Peloton Bikes Model PL01. The bikes were sold from January 2018 through May 2023 for about $1,400.

11 months ago

Immigration Asylum Family Reunification Explainer....

JULIE WATSON Associated Press

US will let in at least 100,000 Latin Americans to reunite with families

President Joe Biden's administration has promised to offer more legal options for Latin American migrants to come to the United States to be reunited with their families.

11 months ago

two border patrol agents pictured, agents are dealing with a surge as title 42 reaches its expirati...

Associated Press

Title 42 has ended. Here’s what it did, and how US immigration policy is changing

The end of Title 42's use has raised questions about what will happen with migration preparing for an increase in migrants.

11 months ago

Rumman Chowdhury is pictured, she is the coordinator for the mass AI hacking exercise...

Associated Press

Hackers aim to find flaws in AI – with White House help

No sooner did ChatGPT get unleashed than hackers started “jailbreaking” the artificial intelligence chatbot – trying to override its safeguards so it could blurt out something unhinged or obscene. But now its maker, OpenAI, and other major AI providers such as Google and Microsoft, are coordinating with the Biden administration to let thousands of hackers […]

11 months ago

Parents of Ema Kobiljski, 13, mourn during the funeral procession at the central cemetery in Belgra...

JOVANA GEC Associated Press

Burials held in Serbia for some victims of mass shootings

Funerals are taking place in Serbia for some of the victims of two mass shootings that happened in just two days, leaving 17 people dead and 21 wounded, many of them children.

11 months ago

interest rate...

DAVID McHUGH AP Business Writer

Europe’s inflation inches up ahead of interest rate decision

Europe's painful inflation has inched higher, extending the squeeze on households and keeping pressure on the European Central Bank to unleash what could be another large interest rate increase.

11 months ago

Sponsored Articles

close up of rose marvel saliva blooms in purple...

Shannon Cavalero

Drought Tolerant Perennials for Utah

The best drought tolerant plants for Utah can handle high elevations, alkaline soils, excessive exposure to wind, and use of secondary water.

Group of cheerful team members high fiving each other...

Visit Bear Lake

How To Plan a Business Retreat in Bear Lake This Spring

Are you wondering how to plan a business retreat this spring? Read our sample itinerary to plan a team getaway to Bear Lake.

Cheerful young woman writing an assignment while sitting at desk between two classmates during clas...

BYU EMBA at the Marriott School of Business

Hear it Firsthand: 6 Students Share Their Executive MBA Experience at BYU’s Marriott School of Business

The Executive MBA program at BYU offers great opportunities. Hear experiences straight from students enrolled in the program.

Skier being towed by a rider on a horse. Skijoring....

Bear Lake Convention and Visitors Bureau

Looking for a New Winter Activity? Try Skijoring in Bear Lake

Skijoring is when someone on skis is pulled by a horse, dog, animal, or motor vehicle. The driver leads the skiers through an obstacle course over jumps, hoops, and gates.

Banner with Cervical Cancer Awareness Realistic Ribbon...

Intermountain Health

Five Common Causes of Cervical Cancer – and What You Can Do to Lower Your Risk

January is National Cervical Cancer Awareness month and cancer experts at Intermountain Health are working to educate women about cervical cancer.

Kid holding a cisco fish at winterfest...

Bear Lake Convention and Visitors Bureau

Get Ready for Fun at the 2023 Bear Lake Monster Winterfest

The Bear Lake Monster Winterfest is an annual weekend event jam-packed full of fun activities the whole family can enjoy.

Pilot of Bryant helicopter tried to avoid heavy fog