Kobe Bryant's pilot was qualified to fly in foggy conditions but the chopper did NOT have necessary instruments
The charter company, whose helicopter NBA legend Kobe Bryant was in on the day of the fatal crash, reportedly did not have certification to fly in conditions that require pilots to use just cockpit instruments, reports state. The company, Island Express Helicopters, was only certified to operate under visual flight rules, which means that pilots were only permitted to fly when they could clearly see outside the aircraft.
The Los Angeles Lakers legend, 41, died in the helicopter crash in Calabasas, California on January 26. The chopper was carrying also his 13-year-old daughter Gianna Bryant, and seven others. None survived the fatal crash.
The New York Times, on Thursday, reported sources as saying that the pilot of the doomed chopper did not have legal authority for that specific flight because the charter company did not have the necessary Federal Aviation Administration certification. Island Express Helicopters has now revealed that they are grounding all their flights in the wake of the tragic crash.
A pilot and former safety manager at the company, Kurt Deetz, said that Sikorsky S-76B's pilot, Ara Zobayan, likely had little experience in instrumental flying considering the operating limitations of the company. "There is only one way you can be in the clouds, on an I.F.R. (instrument flight rules) flight plan or by accident," Deetz said.
Zobayan had reportedly been attempting to climb out of the clouds when the chartered aircraft went into a sudden and terrifying 1,200-foot descent that lasted nearly a minute. The chopper later crashed into a hillside, scattering debris more than 500 feet.
Reports state that the pilot had received "special visual flight rules" or clearance fly in the less-than-optimal weather around the Burbank airport.
The latest report has raised questions on why the pilot did not file an instrument flight plan, which would have enabled him to climb above the fog en route to their destination. The owner of a different charter company, Claudia Lowry, said that no local services maintain the certification that enables instrument flights because that would mean an increased training and higher insurance, the outlet reported.
"It's not worth it, we don't fly in that kind of weather anyway," Lowry, who owns Group 3 Aviation, said. "And most of the time the weather is good."
Island Express Helicopters's certifications are currently being reviewed by the National Transportation Safety Board officials.