Kobe Bryant dead, private Sikorsky S-76 down

Message
Author
Boac
Chief Pilot
Chief Pilot
Posts: 17199
Joined: Fri Aug 28, 2015 5:12 pm
Location: Here

Re: Kobe Bryant dead, private Sikorsky S-76 down

#61 Post by Boac » Wed Jan 29, 2020 7:33 pm

Just a quick question for our US members - is there a possibility of a 30 minute 'time slip' with the strange time zones you have there?

User avatar
TheGreenGoblin
Chief Pilot
Chief Pilot
Posts: 17596
Joined: Thu Aug 08, 2019 11:02 pm
Location: With the Water People near Trappist-1

Re: Kobe Bryant dead, private Sikorsky S-76 down

#62 Post by TheGreenGoblin » Wed Jan 29, 2020 7:43 pm

Boac wrote:
Wed Jan 29, 2020 7:33 pm
Just a quick question for our US members - is there a possibility of a 30 minute 'time slip' with the strange time zones you have there?
Or a "Time Warp"! We are entering the Rocky Horror Picture Show territory here... :)
Though you remain
Convinced
"To be alive
You must have somewhere
To go
Your destination remains
Elusive."

Boac
Chief Pilot
Chief Pilot
Posts: 17199
Joined: Fri Aug 28, 2015 5:12 pm
Location: Here

Re: Kobe Bryant dead, private Sikorsky S-76 down

#63 Post by Boac » Wed Jan 29, 2020 8:08 pm

Not the query, tgg - if is was "20 minutes" or "45 minutes", game over, but the US does have 30 minute time zones. Hence the query. All you need is a videocam set in a different zone..?

CANCEL that - it seems they don't.

User avatar
probes
Chief Pilot
Chief Pilot
Posts: 2839
Joined: Sun Aug 23, 2015 9:01 pm
Location: 'Urop
Gender:

Re: Kobe Bryant dead, private Sikorsky S-76 down

#64 Post by probes » Wed Jan 29, 2020 8:47 pm

But actually Bryant does seem to have been a decent guy:

Bryant's strict daily routine saw him wake up at 4am, lift weights at 5am and then be back home in time to be with his girls when they woke at 6.30am and take them to school.
"That's what I did every morning," Bryant said.
He'd then travel to downtown LA for practise — a trip he could make in 30-40 minutes early in his career "before people started moving down south" where he lived in Orange County.
After getting extra shots up and treatment after practise he could still be back in time to pick his children up from school and be there for "after school activities, all that fun stuff".
"But then traffic started getting really, really bad and I was sitting in traffic and wound up missing things like the school play," Bryant said.
"I had to figure out a way I could still train and focus on the craft (of basketball), but also not compromise family time.
"That's when I started looking into helicopters to get up and back (from training).
"My wife was like, 'I can pick them up' and I was like, 'No, no, no, I want to do that'. Because you have road trips (away from home) and times where you don't see your kids, you know, so every chance I get to spend time with them — even if it's 20 minutes in the car — I want that."
However, Bryant and his wife did take steps to avoid the worst. "He and Vanessa had a deal that they would never fly on a helicopter together," a source told People magazine of the couple.


nzherald

User avatar
FD2
Chief Pilot
Chief Pilot
Posts: 5110
Joined: Thu Sep 03, 2015 10:11 pm
Location: New Zealand
Gender:
Age: 76

Re: Kobe Bryant dead, private Sikorsky S-76 down

#65 Post by FD2 » Wed Jan 29, 2020 9:00 pm

Probes - I agree. Seemed like a nice guy. I'm sure I would have heard of him if I was a basketball fan. Looks like the daughter was a rising star too.

User avatar
TheGreenGoblin
Chief Pilot
Chief Pilot
Posts: 17596
Joined: Thu Aug 08, 2019 11:02 pm
Location: With the Water People near Trappist-1

Re: Kobe Bryant dead, private Sikorsky S-76 down

#66 Post by TheGreenGoblin » Wed Jan 29, 2020 11:33 pm

One of the things I like about aviation is that the basics are not bound by moral relativity, the good, the bad and the ugly, succeed or die.

Kinetics, gravity, thermodynamics etc. all pertain, and as my, now dead brother pointed out to me, gravity is a pilot's greatest enemy.

What has happened is tragic for all concerned.

I hope some lesson can be learned from this tragedy but I doubt that will happen.

The Bridge Over San Louis Rey...
Though you remain
Convinced
"To be alive
You must have somewhere
To go
Your destination remains
Elusive."

User avatar
llondel
Chief Pilot
Chief Pilot
Posts: 5909
Joined: Wed Oct 03, 2018 3:17 am
Location: San Jose

Re: Kobe Bryant dead, private Sikorsky S-76 down

#67 Post by llondel » Thu Jan 30, 2020 4:43 am

TheGreenGoblin wrote:
Wed Jan 29, 2020 7:18 pm
What do they have in the local water to render some people so idiotic...?
It is the LA Basin, probably something in the smog. That would explain quite a lot, really.

Karearea
Chief Pilot
Chief Pilot
Posts: 4746
Joined: Thu Sep 10, 2015 5:47 am
Location: The South Island, New Zealand

Re: Kobe Bryant dead, private Sikorsky S-76 down

#68 Post by Karearea » Sat Feb 01, 2020 12:16 am

Kobe Bryant S-76B UPDATE 31 Jan 2020 - blancolirio - ~28mins
Special Guest -Scott Monroe - Professional Helicopter EMS pilot.
"If you have an Instrument Rating, are you proficient at flying in IMC?"

User avatar
G~Man
Capt
Capt
Posts: 1084
Joined: Sun Aug 23, 2015 4:16 pm
Location: California on a fire or a sailboat somewhere.
Gender:
Age: 60

Re: Kobe Bryant dead, private Sikorsky S-76 down

#69 Post by G~Man » Sat Feb 01, 2020 12:20 am

Please continue the "healthy" discussion and continue to be respectful, lest we forget, there is a human side to this.

Please don't ask----I cannot comment for obvious reasons.

RIP Ara, my best friend:
20170622_171446.jpg
B-) Life may not be the party you hoped for, but while you're here, you may as well dance. B-)

Boac
Chief Pilot
Chief Pilot
Posts: 17199
Joined: Fri Aug 28, 2015 5:12 pm
Location: Here

Re: Kobe Bryant dead, private Sikorsky S-76 down

#70 Post by Boac » Sat Feb 01, 2020 11:23 am

Interesting eye-witness report.

User avatar
Woody
Chief Pilot
Chief Pilot
Posts: 10244
Joined: Tue Aug 25, 2015 6:33 pm
Location: Sir Kenny Dalglish Stand
Age: 59

Re: Kobe Bryant dead, private Sikorsky S-76 down

#71 Post by Woody » Sat Feb 01, 2020 1:49 pm

When all else fails, read the instructions.

Boac
Chief Pilot
Chief Pilot
Posts: 17199
Joined: Fri Aug 28, 2015 5:12 pm
Location: Here

Re: Kobe Bryant dead, private Sikorsky S-76 down

#72 Post by Boac » Sat Feb 01, 2020 4:34 pm

Not really a problem if he set out to fly VFR/S/HeliVMC, BUT if he misjudged the weather......................

User avatar
Dunbar
First Solo
First Solo
Posts: 4
Joined: Sat Jan 11, 2020 4:58 pm
Location: Two miles west of 2 miles east of here
Gender:

Re: Kobe Bryant dead, private Sikorsky S-76 down

#73 Post by Dunbar » Sat Feb 01, 2020 4:47 pm

Turn your sound up a bit higher......

Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they aren't after you.

Boac
Chief Pilot
Chief Pilot
Posts: 17199
Joined: Fri Aug 28, 2015 5:12 pm
Location: Here

Re: Kobe Bryant dead, private Sikorsky S-76 down

#74 Post by Boac » Sat Feb 01, 2020 4:54 pm

And another - certainly doesn't sound like 130kts

User avatar
TheGreenGoblin
Chief Pilot
Chief Pilot
Posts: 17596
Joined: Thu Aug 08, 2019 11:02 pm
Location: With the Water People near Trappist-1

Re: Kobe Bryant dead, private Sikorsky S-76 down

#75 Post by TheGreenGoblin » Sat Feb 01, 2020 6:37 pm

Boac wrote:
Sat Feb 01, 2020 4:34 pm
Not really a problem if he set out to fly VFR/S/HeliVMC, BUT if he misjudged the weather......................

Inadvertent IMC while flying SVFR, is a risk (I must admit I have done same in a fixed wing aircraft) ... If the operating certificate issued by the Federal Aviation Administration limited Island Express Helicopters’ pilots to fly only under visual flight rules, then I wonder how the company's SOP's covered the enhanced risk of SVFR. Can anybody explain how the FAA rules on the the situation where an IFR rated pilot (who is current) inadvertently finds himself in IMC? Can he/she legally request an IFR clearance when flying for a outfit certified in the way Island Express Helicopters is?
Though you remain
Convinced
"To be alive
You must have somewhere
To go
Your destination remains
Elusive."

PHXPhlyer
Chief Pilot
Chief Pilot
Posts: 8239
Joined: Sun Jun 17, 2018 2:56 pm
Location: PHX
Gender:
Age: 69

Re: Kobe Bryant dead, private Sikorsky S-76 down

#76 Post by PHXPhlyer » Sat Feb 01, 2020 6:49 pm

Part 135 requires IFR rating for pilots. If company's Op. Specs. limit operation to VFR only IFR could be done under "emergency authority" under Part 91.3.

PP

User avatar
TheGreenGoblin
Chief Pilot
Chief Pilot
Posts: 17596
Joined: Thu Aug 08, 2019 11:02 pm
Location: With the Water People near Trappist-1

Re: Kobe Bryant dead, private Sikorsky S-76 down

#77 Post by TheGreenGoblin » Sat Feb 01, 2020 6:53 pm

PHXPhlyer wrote:
Sat Feb 01, 2020 6:49 pm
Part 135 requires IFR rating for pilots. If company's Op. Specs. limit operation to VFR only IFR could be done under "emergency authority" under Part 91.3.

PP
Many thanks for that immediate answer PHXPhlyer. Would such an emergency authority have risked censure from the FAA in the case pertaining here, i.e would such a request to ATC have been a reportable incident?

I have upped my lazy arse and have the answer here...
14 CFR § 91.3 - Responsibility and authority of the pilot in command.
CFR
prev | next
§ 91.3 Responsibility and authority of the pilot in command.
(a) The pilot in command of an aircraft is directly responsible for, and is the final authority as to, the operation of that aircraft.

(b) In an in-flight emergency requiring immediate action, the pilot in command may deviate from any rule of this part to the extent required to meet that emergency.

(c) Each pilot in command who deviates from a rule under paragraph (b) of this section shall, upon the request of the Administrator, send a written report of that deviation to the Administrator.

(Approved by the Office of Management and Budget under control number 2120-0005)
Though you remain
Convinced
"To be alive
You must have somewhere
To go
Your destination remains
Elusive."

User avatar
FD2
Chief Pilot
Chief Pilot
Posts: 5110
Joined: Thu Sep 03, 2015 10:11 pm
Location: New Zealand
Gender:
Age: 76

Re: Kobe Bryant dead, private Sikorsky S-76 down

#78 Post by FD2 » Sat Feb 01, 2020 6:57 pm

The man in post number 70 has his head screwed on and will be a positive help in the enquiry - a very useful witness I think. The length of time that we can hear the aircraft for on the security camera footage would suggest that it is flying back at about 50 - 60 kts or even slower. The sound from the crash probably ceases instantly because losing the main rotor blades on impact would allow the main rotor head to spin up and both engines would trip off instantly - if they were still even attached.

As far as we know there has been no information released about the pilot's experience, what type of aircraft he gained his instrument rating in, IMC time etc., but it should have been useful if he ever found himself inadvertently IMC.

PHXPhlyer
Chief Pilot
Chief Pilot
Posts: 8239
Joined: Sun Jun 17, 2018 2:56 pm
Location: PHX
Gender:
Age: 69

Re: Kobe Bryant dead, private Sikorsky S-76 down

#79 Post by PHXPhlyer » Sat Feb 01, 2020 7:03 pm

Might get questioned to explain circumstances to FSDO inspector who handles their Operating Certificate. Good explanation would probably get a "did you learn anything?" and a "don't do that again".

PP

User avatar
TheGreenGoblin
Chief Pilot
Chief Pilot
Posts: 17596
Joined: Thu Aug 08, 2019 11:02 pm
Location: With the Water People near Trappist-1

Re: Kobe Bryant dead, private Sikorsky S-76 down

#80 Post by TheGreenGoblin » Sat Feb 01, 2020 7:09 pm

PHXPhlyer wrote:
Sat Feb 01, 2020 7:03 pm
Might get questioned to explain circumstances to FSDO inspector who handles their Operating Certificate. Good explanation would probably get a "did you learn anything?" and a "don't do that again".

PP
Once again thanks for that clarification. The FSDO approach seems eminently sensible. I guess the FAA don't want people declaring emergencies to circumvent the FAR's but equally having pilots reluctant to declare an emergency is counterproductive to the cause of safety.
Though you remain
Convinced
"To be alive
You must have somewhere
To go
Your destination remains
Elusive."

Post Reply