Flight data/cockpit voice on Kobe crash
01-31-2020, 12:58 PM
#41
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Joined APC: Jan 2020
Posts: 41
Originally Posted by Dougdrvr
When flying a helo in IMC, what is the minimum forward speed you can maintain?
02-03-2020, 11:06 PM
#44
New Hire
Joined APC: Feb 2020
Posts: 1
First Person Account
Originally Posted by rickair7777
While the terrain does resemble SOCAL, that crash video does not match eyewitness reports or the weather conditions known to exist at the time of the crash.
Also different paint job.
Also different paint job.
02-03-2020, 11:17 PM
#45
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Jun 2017
Posts: 659
Originally Posted by Azzali
He hovered above the Albertsons parking lot for a full 1 minute. Perhaps at 400 ft. He could have landed. Instead he pulled up SE increasing speed and altitude. He then clipped the ridge and banked left and down while sputtering and crashed to the left side of the crest.
02-04-2020, 06:54 AM
#46
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Mar 2018
Posts: 313
Originally Posted by TiredSoul
I’ve seen it in fixed wing 135, older bird gets refurbished with a snazzy interior and the flightcrew gets.....nothing.
Nice interior and junk for a panel.
Nice interior and junk for a panel.
https://www.controller.com/listings/...latus-pc-12-47
02-08-2020, 11:29 AM
#47
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Joined APC: Mar 2019
Posts: 53
Flight data/cockpit voice on Kobe crash
https://ntsb.gov/investigations/Docu...ive-Update.pdf
Ntsb report is out
Says he was within 100ft of the tops of the fog layer with clear skies, and apparently it confirms the witness report? Who said it then rolled and crashed.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Ntsb report is out
Says he was within 100ft of the tops of the fog layer with clear skies, and apparently it confirms the witness report? Who said it then rolled and crashed.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
02-22-2020, 12:23 PM
#49
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Dec 2017
Position: Retired NJA & AA
Posts: 1,918
Bryant's Pilot had previous Wx violation
https://www.latimes.com/california/s...-before-flying
By HANNAH FRYSTAFF WRITER
FEB. 22, 2020
10:50 AMThe pilot of the helicopter that crashed into a Calabasas hillside last month, killing NBA star Kobe Bryant and eight others, violated federal flight rules in 2015 when he flew into busy airspace near Los Angeles International Airport despite being ordered not to by air traffic control, according to records from the Federal Aviation Administration obtained by The Times.
Ara Zobayan was flying northbound in an AS350 chopper when he was denied clearance to traverse the airspace because weather conditions had reduced visibility below what is known as visual flight rules (VFR), according to the enforcement action records obtained through a freedom of information act request.
The FAA said Zobayan took responsibility for the violation and underwent counseling, but faulted him for his lack of preparation. “Had Mr. Zobayan properly planned and reviewed current weather at LAX, he would have been able to anticipate the required action to transit ... resulting in proper coordination,” the report says.
Federal authorities are investigating Zobayan’s actions during last month’s flight when he veered out of control after flying into heavy clouds. Zobayan also died in the flight.
On the May 2015 flight, Zobayan was flying for Island Express Helicopters, the same charter company where he worked for years leading up to the crash. It is not clear where Zobayan was traveling that day or whether he had any passengers.
Near the Hawthorne Airport and the 105 Freeway, he contacted a tower at LAX to gain clearance to fly through the airspace. The tower told Zobayan that the airfield was reporting less than three miles of visibility and a cloud ceiling at least 1,000 feet above the ground.
Zobayan, who was relying on his sight to guide him, responded with a request to continue under special VFR, which would grant him clearance to fly in weather conditions with less than the minimum visibility for regular visual flying. When the tower denied that request and told him to navigate around the airspace, Zobayan backtracked and said that he could actually maintain VFR.
During the conversation, Zobayan continued flying northbound and entered the airspace without approval, violating FAA rules, according to the enforcement report.
An FAA investigator, who was not named in the document, did not recommend remedial training and instead opted to counsel Zobayan in several areas including operating in airspace around large airports, special VFR weather minimums, proper planning and reviewing weather.
“There are no indications that this is a repeated incident and there are no signs that this incident is a trend with Mr. Zobayan or any other [Island Express Helicopter] personnel,” the investigator wrote.
Opinions among pilots and experts are split on the severity of the violation.
Shawn Coyle, a longtime helicopter pilot, said the violation is considered relatively minor.
“I don’t know a single pilot out there who hasn’t violated a rule,” he said. “If that’s the only violation he’s ever had then I would say he’s pretty safe.”
The report comes as investigators continue to try to determine the cause of the deadly chopper crash on Jan. 26, a process that will likely take months. However, investigators have said Zobayan was struggling with poor visibility in the moments before the aircraft slammed into the hillside.
But Zoey Tur, a veteran Los Angeles news chopper pilot, noted that both the Hawthorne incident and the Bryant flight involved a case when the pilot found himself struggling with poor weather conditions.
“As a pilot you’re supposed to check the weather conditions along the route of flight,” Tur said.
A representative for Island Express Helicopters could not be reached for comment. An attorney representing the company did not respond to a phone call from a reporter on Friday.
Kurt Deetz, a former pilot for Island Express Helicopters, said navigating around the controlled airspace near LAX would have added only five to ten minutes to the flight.
He contends the pilot also should have known that LAX rarely allows helicopters to fly under special flight rules in the airspace around the airport. Entering the airspace without approval, he added, can be dangerous because of potential conflicts with commercial jets.
“You can’t request special VFR and then they deny you and you say, ‘Oh wait a minute, actually I’m VFR’,” he said. “That’s not how it works. It shows that perhaps his understanding of special VFR as opposed to VFR was cloudy.”
Zobayan reported the incident to his employer and the FAA. Island Express Helicopters told federal investigators that they conducted additional ground and flight training with Zobayan in response to the situation.
Helicopter pilots and aviation experts say less-than-ideal weather is not uncommon for experienced pilots, but flying when visibility is decreasing poses an extreme danger.
Staff writers Richard Winton and Kim Christensen contributed to this report
Kobe Bryant’s pilot had been disciplined by FAA over weather-related flight violation
By HANNAH FRYSTAFF WRITER
FEB. 22, 2020
10:50 AMThe pilot of the helicopter that crashed into a Calabasas hillside last month, killing NBA star Kobe Bryant and eight others, violated federal flight rules in 2015 when he flew into busy airspace near Los Angeles International Airport despite being ordered not to by air traffic control, according to records from the Federal Aviation Administration obtained by The Times.
Ara Zobayan was flying northbound in an AS350 chopper when he was denied clearance to traverse the airspace because weather conditions had reduced visibility below what is known as visual flight rules (VFR), according to the enforcement action records obtained through a freedom of information act request.
The FAA said Zobayan took responsibility for the violation and underwent counseling, but faulted him for his lack of preparation. “Had Mr. Zobayan properly planned and reviewed current weather at LAX, he would have been able to anticipate the required action to transit ... resulting in proper coordination,” the report says.
Federal authorities are investigating Zobayan’s actions during last month’s flight when he veered out of control after flying into heavy clouds. Zobayan also died in the flight.
On the May 2015 flight, Zobayan was flying for Island Express Helicopters, the same charter company where he worked for years leading up to the crash. It is not clear where Zobayan was traveling that day or whether he had any passengers.
Near the Hawthorne Airport and the 105 Freeway, he contacted a tower at LAX to gain clearance to fly through the airspace. The tower told Zobayan that the airfield was reporting less than three miles of visibility and a cloud ceiling at least 1,000 feet above the ground.
Zobayan, who was relying on his sight to guide him, responded with a request to continue under special VFR, which would grant him clearance to fly in weather conditions with less than the minimum visibility for regular visual flying. When the tower denied that request and told him to navigate around the airspace, Zobayan backtracked and said that he could actually maintain VFR.
During the conversation, Zobayan continued flying northbound and entered the airspace without approval, violating FAA rules, according to the enforcement report.
An FAA investigator, who was not named in the document, did not recommend remedial training and instead opted to counsel Zobayan in several areas including operating in airspace around large airports, special VFR weather minimums, proper planning and reviewing weather.
“There are no indications that this is a repeated incident and there are no signs that this incident is a trend with Mr. Zobayan or any other [Island Express Helicopter] personnel,” the investigator wrote.
Opinions among pilots and experts are split on the severity of the violation.
Shawn Coyle, a longtime helicopter pilot, said the violation is considered relatively minor.
“I don’t know a single pilot out there who hasn’t violated a rule,” he said. “If that’s the only violation he’s ever had then I would say he’s pretty safe.”
The report comes as investigators continue to try to determine the cause of the deadly chopper crash on Jan. 26, a process that will likely take months. However, investigators have said Zobayan was struggling with poor visibility in the moments before the aircraft slammed into the hillside.
But Zoey Tur, a veteran Los Angeles news chopper pilot, noted that both the Hawthorne incident and the Bryant flight involved a case when the pilot found himself struggling with poor weather conditions.
“As a pilot you’re supposed to check the weather conditions along the route of flight,” Tur said.
A representative for Island Express Helicopters could not be reached for comment. An attorney representing the company did not respond to a phone call from a reporter on Friday.
Kurt Deetz, a former pilot for Island Express Helicopters, said navigating around the controlled airspace near LAX would have added only five to ten minutes to the flight.
He contends the pilot also should have known that LAX rarely allows helicopters to fly under special flight rules in the airspace around the airport. Entering the airspace without approval, he added, can be dangerous because of potential conflicts with commercial jets.
“You can’t request special VFR and then they deny you and you say, ‘Oh wait a minute, actually I’m VFR’,” he said. “That’s not how it works. It shows that perhaps his understanding of special VFR as opposed to VFR was cloudy.”
Zobayan reported the incident to his employer and the FAA. Island Express Helicopters told federal investigators that they conducted additional ground and flight training with Zobayan in response to the situation.
Helicopter pilots and aviation experts say less-than-ideal weather is not uncommon for experienced pilots, but flying when visibility is decreasing poses an extreme danger.
Staff writers Richard Winton and Kim Christensen contributed to this report
02-24-2020, 07:37 PM
#50
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Dec 2017
Position: Retired NJA & AA
Posts: 1,918
Vanessa Bryant Sues Helicopter Operator
Island Express Helicopters suspended ops on Jan. 30th, not sure if they're still in business or not. Also, note the bolded section where she is also suing the Pilot's family.
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/th...d-kobe-1280770
She's suing Island Express Helicopters and the survivors of pilot Ara George Zobayan, who was also killed in the Jan. 26 crash.
Vanessa Bryant says heavy fog and low clouds prompted law enforcement agencies and tour companies to ground their helicopters, but the pilot requested special clearance from air traffic control to keep flying. She says Island Express' FAA operating certificate barred pilots from flying under such conditions and that Zobayan had previously been cited by the FAA for violating the rules.
Bryant argues Helicopter Express is liable for Zobayan's "negligent and careless piloting" and knew or should have known about his previous citation from the FAA and that the company didn't have an adequate safety policy for the cancellation of flights due to unsafe weather conditions.
The suit claims Zobayan failed to properly monitor the weather prior to the flight, failed to abort the flight when he became aware of the conditions, improperly flew the helicopter into conditions under which he couldn't navigate by sight, failed to avoid natural obstacles and failed to properly and safely operate the helicopter.
Bryant is suing for unspecified general, economic and punitive damages. Her legal team is led by Brad D. Brian of Munger, Tolles & Olson and Gary C. Robb of Robb & Robb.
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/th...d-kobe-1280770
Vanessa Bryant Sues Helicopter Operator for Wrongful Death in Crash That Killed Kobe
The helicopter crash that killed Kobe Bryant and eight others, including the NBA star's teenage daughter, was due to negligence by the pilot and the aircraft's operating company, according to a wrongful death lawsuit filed Monday by Vanessa Bryant.She's suing Island Express Helicopters and the survivors of pilot Ara George Zobayan, who was also killed in the Jan. 26 crash.
Vanessa Bryant says heavy fog and low clouds prompted law enforcement agencies and tour companies to ground their helicopters, but the pilot requested special clearance from air traffic control to keep flying. She says Island Express' FAA operating certificate barred pilots from flying under such conditions and that Zobayan had previously been cited by the FAA for violating the rules.
Bryant argues Helicopter Express is liable for Zobayan's "negligent and careless piloting" and knew or should have known about his previous citation from the FAA and that the company didn't have an adequate safety policy for the cancellation of flights due to unsafe weather conditions.
The suit claims Zobayan failed to properly monitor the weather prior to the flight, failed to abort the flight when he became aware of the conditions, improperly flew the helicopter into conditions under which he couldn't navigate by sight, failed to avoid natural obstacles and failed to properly and safely operate the helicopter.
Bryant is suing for unspecified general, economic and punitive damages. Her legal team is led by Brad D. Brian of Munger, Tolles & Olson and Gary C. Robb of Robb & Robb.
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