There was no cause for alarm
during the final minutes of interaction between the pilot flying Kobe Bryant’s
helicopter and air traffic controllers until the communication abruptly ceased.
That was a terrible sign that
turned into the worst possible outcome within seconds.”
Why
Did They Fly in Foggy Conditions?
The NBA
superstar, Gianna his 13-year-old daughter and 7 others were killed in a
copter crash that occurred on a Sunday morning outside Los Angeles. This has
left many puzzling questions in the minds of both investigators and
sympathizers alike.
And chief among those
baffling questions is this: Why were they flying in so foggy a condition that
even the police department had to ground all its choppers?
Robert Ditchey, an
aeronautical engineer, longtime airplane pilot, and former airline executive
who resides in Los Angeles, was one of the first to ask this question.
Although a crack team of
investigators is still looking into the reasons behind the tragedy, Ditchey
states he suspected one of the factors for the crash was the weather.
This notion was further
reinforced when he found out that the craft that crashed was a chopper.
“This was totally avoidable,” Ditchey said. “And on the part of some people, I can even go as far as to say irresponsible.
“Here’s one of the most
influential people in the world, and he comes to such a tragic end. The
question you ask is ‘Why?’ What the hell happened?”
Audio
of Last Four Minutes of Exchanges Captured
LiveATC.net captured
the audio of the last 4 minutes of communication between
Ara Zobayan – the pilot flying the Bryant chopper – and air traffic
controllers. It was combined with flight data and converted into a video on
VASAviation, a YouTube channel. There was hardly any clue gleaned from the
exchange.
The pilot had requested – and
was granted permission – to fly the luxury Sikorsky S-76B helicopter under what
is known as visual flight rules. Zobayan had a license to fly under such rules,
and he was also a highly experienced pilot who had successfully logged 8,200
flight hours by July.
And as the pilot of the
Bryant chopper transitioned from the air traffic controller stationed in
Burbank, California to the one in Van Nuys, Zobayan, still maintaining his
special VFR privileges, continued flying at 1,400 feet of elevation while
staying close to superhighways.
But when the Southern
California controller took over communication and asked Zobayan to identify
himself, he did not receive any response.
In such a dense fog and
without radio communication to the air traffic controller – which was most likely
blocked by the low altitude and mountains – the copter crashed into a hillside
in Calabasas which is near Malibu.
Helicopters
Can Operate in Bad Weather, Expert Says
According to Ditchey, helicopters
can fly or operate well in bad weather, and this is because they can fly low.
But there must be reasonable visibility which should be defined by at least 1
mile.
But then, traveling at 120
mph, a pilot has nothing less than 30 seconds to avoid large obstacles.
It is most likely that the
chopper ran into trouble when visibility became very poor in the area over the
LA Zoo near Glendale, Ditchey said.
The Air Support Division at
the LA Police Department stated that their pilots who are also police officers
are given the liberty to decide whether or not it is safe to fly.
“The weather condition was scary enough for the police not to fly,” Ditchey said. “So, why did Kobe do it?”
