Kobe Bryant death: Here's what to expect from final NTSB report on helicopter crash, on February 9
It has been one year since the tragic death of NBA legend Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, along with the pilot and six others in Calabasas.
The Sikorsky slammed into a rugged mountain slope covered in fog. As the shock cleared, the search of answers begun, and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said there would be a final report on what exactly went wrong on February 9.
So far, what we do know is that Ara Zobayan, the pilot, and the group left John Wayne Airport in Orange County shortly after 9 am on January 26. They were on their way to a youth basketball tournament. The NY Daily said it was an unusually foggy day that saw other flights being grounded. However, he had made the trip with Bryant the day before and decided to continue with the same. The idea was to follow freeway lines and visual flight rules, which meant there was no instrumentation to aid with poor visibility, according to the site.
Reports released by the Los Angeles County Coroner's Office, obtained by ESPN, put into light how brutal the crash was and described broken bones, dismembered body parts, and a stench of fuel on what remains of clothes burnt.
The identity of Kobe, 41, one of the most iconic sports figures in Los Angeles, had to be verified by his fingerprints after his body was found in the dirt outside the wreckage of the chopper.
Meanwhile, his 13-year-old daughter was found in a ravine on the opposite side, as per the autopsy report. The disturbing report made it clear that Bryant and the other passengers had almost certainly suffered an instant death due to blunt trauma.
"These injuries are rapid, if not instantly fatal," senior deputy medical examiner Juan Carrillo wrote in Bryant's report.
While the world awaits the final NTSB report, the board has so far released 1,852 pages of factual evidence that has been collected over the course of the investigation. These pages include email records, transcripts of interviews, photos, messages, video footage from the cameras near the area, and meteorological reports.
What's to expect from the final NTSB report?
USA Today says the findings will help in charting a roadmap for lawyers in lawsuits related to wrongful deaths that are filed by victim's families. The report will also provide NTSB a chance to make further safety recommendations to the FAA. Although the Board has tried to make recommendations, the FAA hasn't adopted them. Perhaps there could be more information on the note the board previously mentioned — the Sikorsky S-76B lacked both a black box and a terrain warning system called TAWS.
The NTSB has recommended that the system be mandatory for helicopters, but the Federal Aviation Administration mandates it only for Air Ambulances. There have been a few changes ringing. “I think the tragic death a year ago of Kobe and Gianna shows the need for better safety systems on helicopters. We were not able to pass this last year because Congress was focused on things related to COVID and the other crises we faced. But we hope to pass a bill this year,” Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Calif.) told The News.
The Kobe and Gianna Bryant Helicopter Safety Act was introduced by Sherman last year and he added he was working with Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Chuck Schumer to fight the "substantial opposition" from the helicopter industry to mandate crash-proof black boxes and TAWS for helicopters with six or more passenger seats, the report added.