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This may be dumb but could it have been collision with another aircraft? I would think this would be known and revealed by now if so. But every pic I'veseen of his personal S-76 is black and gray while the debris in all the news video looks like light blue and white. And the tail looks separated and a hundred yards or more away. There is lots of what looks like trash or debris in another area with large red and white pieces that the rescuers don't seem to be looking at.
So did he have a heart attack or a stroke? A very senior pilot like this guy certainly knew how to hover. Why did he not?
That's my question too. It would make the most sense. He was a very skilled pilot who probably flew this route a lot. I doubt it was his 1st time in fog like this.
Anybody here with significant rotary time? I got an hour or so but never really got into the rotary.
My question is would not the pilot have simply gone into a hover at very low air speed and then popped up until clear of fog? Or dropped down to a minimum altitude over a freeway?
He hit going fast and dropping like a rock. Why? Sounds like exactly the last thing you would do under such circumstances.
Flight instruments do not give sufficient information on what is happening to the pilot in order to hover in the clouds. The Navy, for anti-submarine warfare, in low visibility conditions use a doppler radar (or at least use to) to assist in a hover.
What the pilot should have done is climb straight ahead, and declared an emergency. It is a problem that the FAA is working on, VFR to IFR conditions, and the resulting crashes. And it does happen to IFR rated pilots in nice airplanes/helicopters.
"Flight records show this helicopter had made the same trip on Saturday to Camarillo, a small airport 20 minutes away from the Mamba Sports Academy, which is about 90 miles from the Bryant home and could take more than two hours in Southern California traffic. The initial flight path on Sunday was almost exactly the same as Saturday’s. But about 10 minutes into the flight, around 9:17 a.m., the traffic controllers at Hollywood Burbank Airport made contact with the helicopter carrying Mr. Bryant, according to a recording of the control tower.
“You can expect a few minutes,” the controller said after referring to N72EX, the chopper’s tail number. “I’ve got another aircraft inbound on the final.”
Mr. Zobayan said he would hold around downtown Glendale. This was unusual. In the recent flights this helicopter made between John Wayne and Camarillo, the copter had never veered as far north as Glendale, according to a Wall Street Journal analysis of flight-tracking data.
“You need to get to Van Nuys?”
“Negative. Camarillo.”
“Roger in, Van Nuys is also IFR,” the pilot said, referring to flight rules where pilots must use instruments during cruise and to assist during takeoff or landing because of poor visibility.
The Last Flight of Kobe Bryant’s Life
Details about the helicopter crash that killed the Lakers star and eight others emerged through air-traffic communications and flight data:
The eyewitnesses seem to say the noise from the airborne helicopter was distressed and quite abnormal with sputtering, clanging, and quickly losing altitude. Tough to say since they could not clearly see it since it appeared to be turning and would have been very quick at that speed from low altitude to impact.
It is quite possible to have additive problems and little time / space for recourse. Hovering / slowing or gaining altitude might not have been an option if they had powersystem or mechanical problems.
Thanks for the link, I didn't see the one you're talking about (I went down the whole page) but have seen it on other sites. One I'm seeing Eyewitness describes seeing the crash of helicopter. Interesting that he says he thinks the rotors hit 1st.
Quote:
“Because of proximity to the ground I knew something was wrong. It was hovering real low like they were searching to land. It was making a slow left turn. It was about 9:44 a.m. and then the impact happened. I heard a crunch. I don’t think it pancaked. I think it hit rotors first,” Daehlin said.
Quote:
Originally Posted by City Guy997S
It was likely a wrap.........it was an intricate paint scheme but for a wrap it would be easy and cheap.
After the heat of the fire the wrap would have melted off.
In the current events thread, they also say it was most likely wrapped but it is the same copter that was originally blue and white.
Quote:
Originally Posted by CA4Now
"Flight records show this helicopter had made the same trip on Saturday to Camarillo, a small airport 20 minutes away from the Mamba Sports Academy, which is about 90 miles from the Bryant home and could take more than two hours in Southern California traffic. The initial flight path on Sunday was almost exactly the same as Saturday’s. But about 10 minutes into the flight, around 9:17 a.m., the traffic controllers at Hollywood Burbank Airport made contact with the helicopter carrying Mr. Bryant, according to a recording of the control tower.
“You can expect a few minutes,” the controller said after referring to N72EX, the chopper’s tail number. “I’ve got another aircraft inbound on the final.”
Mr. Zobayan said he would hold around downtown Glendale. This was unusual. In the recent flights this helicopter made between John Wayne and Camarillo, the copter had never veered as far north as Glendale, according to a Wall Street Journal analysis of flight-tracking data.
“You need to get to Van Nuys?”
“Negative. Camarillo.”
“Roger in, Van Nuys is also IFR,” the pilot said, referring to flight rules where pilots must use instruments during cruise and to assist during takeoff or landing because of poor visibility.
The Last Flight of Kobe Bryant’s Life
Details about the helicopter crash that killed the Lakers star and eight others emerged through air-traffic communications and flight data:
Thanks for the article. I haven't read it yet but from what I've read about the pilot he was more then capable and probably drove this route many times in various weather. While Kobe's ex pilot has stated he thinks it will be weather related, I won't be shocked to hear the pilot suffered a massive heart attack.
So just to clarify, Special VFR means that he was given clearance to fly, right? Otherwise, had he not been granted the Special VFR, he would have been grounded? What circumstances are needed for a Special VFR? Like, it's an emergency type thing? Or does the pilot not need an excuse, as long as he meets the requirements for a Special?
Kobe's pilot was instrument-certified (or whatever it's called), so why would he not have done that rather than ask for Special VFR? Would it have caused too much of a delay?
Vf6cruiser, right, the "outside pressure" is exactly what I was reading on that site that does case studies on crashes. In one case, the family needed to get to a party in NV. Probably, as you said, Kobe's pilot felt that pressure from Kobe, maybe even especially since they had to waste 15 minutes circling.
Thanks to all you pilots who are helping us novices understand more about why this may have happened.
Special VFR is granted by ATC if workload permits......doesn't happen a lot because most VFR pilots wouldn't be out running around in those conditions.
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