USA TODAY
The National Transportation Safety Board concluded Tuesday that pilot Ara Zobayan s poor decision-making is the likely cause of the helicopter crash that killed NBA star Kobe Bryant and eight others last year.
The NTSB found that Zobayan was flying under visual flight rules, which means he had to be able to see where he was going, but decided to fly into thick clouds, where he became spatially disoriented. While he had been trained to fly using only his instruments, Zobayan had not received clearance to fly in such conditions that day.
The board identified self-induced pressure as a likely contributing factor to Zobayan s poor decision-making, as well as plan continuation bias – that he felt compelled to finish the flight because he was close to its final destination.
3:59 pm UTC Jan. 22, 2021
USA TODAY Sports is marking the first anniversary of the helicopter crash that killed Kobe Bryant and eight others with a six-day series of stories, photos and videos looking back at the Lakers legend and the aftermath of his death.
In a 72-page complaint, Vanessa Bryant alleged that the helicopter crash in Calabasas, California – which left her husband, daughter and seven others dead – could have been avoided. She claimed the pilot, Ara Zobayan, had shown poor judgment during that Jan. 26 flight. And that his employer, Island Express Helicopters, should be held responsible for the tragic outcome. Plaintiffs deceased, Kobe Bryant, was killed as a direct result of the negligent conduct of Zobayan, the complaint alleges, for which Defendant Island Express Helicopters is vicariously liable in all respects.