Re: Kobe Bryant dead, private Sikorsky S-76 down
Posted: Fri Feb 21, 2020 7:07 pm
I meant former... i.e. medical ops in heli's etc.
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https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2020/ ... pter-crashKobe Bryant’s widow is suing the owner of the helicopter that crashed in fog and killed the former Los Angeles Lakers star and their 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, last month.
The wrongful death lawsuit filed by Vanessa Bryant in Los Angeles on Monday said the pilot, Ara Zobayan, was careless and negligent by flying in cloudy conditions and should have aborted the flight. Zobayan was among the nine people killed in the crash.
The lawsuit names Island Express Helicopters Inc and also targets Zobayan’s legal representative, listed only as “Doe 1” until a name can be determined. Vanessa Bryant’s lawsuit asserts that Zobayan was negligent in eight different ways, including failing to properly assess the weather, flying into conditions he wasn’t cleared for and failing to control the helicopter.
And the lawyers are very busy...FD2 wrote: ↑Sat Feb 29, 2020 10:09 pmNeatly summed up Boac. Now up to 750+ posts of opinion, speculation, argument and insult on TOP...and the NTSB findings are still to be released. It will start the shouting all over again when it is, because I don't think the NTSB will find a positive cause for the crash. No CVR, no FDR, probably nothing to be gleaned from the wreckage, so most likely nothing but speculation, which some expensive shysters, sorry, lawyers can get their teeth into.
I think Island Express are grasping at straws here.Island Express Helicopters has filed a lawsuit alleging that two air traffic controllers are responsible for the crash of a company Sikorsky S-76B helicopter that killed retired NBA star Kobe Bryant and eight others last January. The cross-complaint asserts that the accident was caused by “a series of erroneous acts and/or omissions” committed by the controllers, including a “… failure to properly communicate termination of radar flight following … incomplete position relief briefing, and … lack of knowledge of current weather conditions.” It further claims that a controller contributed to the crash by “monopolizing the Pilot’s attention during the critical phase of the flight by making multiple radio calls, requiring transponder ident, and requesting the Pilot to state where he was and what his intentions were.”
Island Express’ lawsuit (PDF) was filed in the Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles. The individuals listed in the filing are employed by the FAA as air traffic controllers at the Southern California Terminal Radar Approach Control Facility (TRACON). To date, four lawsuits related to the accident have been filed against Island Express, including one by Bryant’s widow, Vanessa, which alleges negligence by the pilot for flying in unsafe weather conditions.
As previously reported by AVweb, Island Express holds a Part 135 operating certificate for on-demand, VFR-only operations. A preliminary report (PDF) released by the NTSB last February stated that no evidence of mechanical failure had been found in the crash, which occurred on Jan. 26, 2020, in Calabasas, California. It further noted that visibility was poor in the area of the accident due to low clouds and mist. According to the report, the pilot had requested and received a special VFR clearance. The final NTSB accident report has not yet been issued.
https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/us- ... 99555.htmlIn the year since the helicopter carrying Kobe Bryant crashed into a hillside on a foggy morning, killing all nine aboard, there's been plenty of finger-pointing over the cause of the tragedy.
Bryant's widow blamed the pilot. She and families of other victims also faulted the companies that owned and operated the helicopter. The brother of the pilot didn't blame Bryant but said the NBA star knew the risks of flying. The helicopter companies said the weather was an act of God and blamed air traffic controllers.
On Tuesday, federal safety officials are expected to announce the long-awaited probable cause of the crash that unleashed worldwide grief for the retired basketball player, launched several lawsuits and prompted state and federal legislation.
"I think the whole world is watching because it's Kobe," said Ed Coleman, an Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University professor and safety science expert.
NTSB Chairman Robert Sumwalt said the accident illustrated that even good pilots can make bad decisions.
“Here is a case where a pilot who is well regarded apparently got into a very bad situation,” Sumwalt said. “The scenario we believe happened he is flying along, he realizes that he’s sort of getting boxed in with visibility and then he must have made the decision, ‘You know what, I’m just going to punch up through these clouds and get on top.’”
The board said it was likely he felt self-induced pressure to deliver Bryant to the destination.
I've just looked briefly at the video you linked - it was 3hr 54 minutes long to (basically) say he screwed up. I would dispute the annotation 'good pilot' since he was apparently unable to transition to instruments and in that case should NOT have been attempting the flight at all in that weather where there was a very high probability he would need to do just that. Overcast at 1000ft?!!! The 'good pilot' is the one who says 'no way, Jose'.that even good pilots
The video is turgid I admit.Boac wrote: ↑Mon Feb 15, 2021 3:19 pmTgg -I've just looked briefly at the video you linked - it was 3hr 54 minutes long to (basically) say he screwed up. I would dispute the annotation 'good pilot' since he was apparently unable to transition to instruments and in that case should NOT have been attempting the flight at all in that weather where there was a very high probability he would need to do just that. Overcast at 1000ft?!!! The 'good pilot' is the one who says 'no way, Jose'.that even good pilots
I have not laboured through all 3hr + of it, but i would have expected the chair to qualify a 'good' annotation - if that is what he pronounced.