The pilot of the helicopter that crashed, killing Kobe Bryant and eight others, used visual flight rules instead of equipment to help navigate in poor weather.
Why didn’t the pilot of the helicopter ferrying Kobe Bryant and eight others Sunday morning use instrument flight controls to help him navigate through foggy conditions?
The pilot, Ara Zobayan, was personally certified to use the sophisticated tools. But Island Express Helicopters, which operated the Sikorsky S-76B chopper, has a certification from the Federal Aviation Administration that limits the company’s pilots to flying only under visual flight rules, according to Eric Weiss, a National Transportation Safety Board spokesman.
The helicopter circled for roughly 13 minutes over Glendale awaiting clearance from air traffic controllers to continue its trip under special visual flight rules that would grant clearance to fly in weather conditions with less than the minimum visibility for regular visual flying.As Zobayan approached the hills of Calabasas at 150 mph, air traffic control radioed him, telling him he was too low to be seen on radar. Minutes later, the pilot advised he was climbing to avoid a cloud layer.
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