Kobe Bryant killed in a helicopter crash today

[MetEdDawg]

News just breaking according to TMZ. More details will be coming.

Awful news and just wow on this one.

[parabrave]

Yep just confirmed. Dam thats bad.

[Littleman]

https://www.tmz.com/2020/01/26/kobe-bryant-killed-dead-helicopter-crash-in-calabasas/

[mparkerfd20]

Wow. Terrible.

[OLJWales]

3rd GOAT behind King James & MJ?

[Rex54]

I believe the ABC news reporter said that his children were with him in the helicopter. Just awful.

[Lord McBuckethead]

No his kids and wife were not with him. According to 24-7

[MrKotter]

3rd GOAT behind King James & MJ?
2nd behind MJ if just using those three. Very sad news

[Todd4State]

Terrible. I don't trust helicopters. It just seems like they have a lot of problems like this.

[Rex54]

No his kids and wife were not with him. According to 24-7

Ok good. Here is the clip where I heard that.

https://twitter.com/bnicholsliberty/status/1221527382688923650?s=21

[fader2103]

There is some reports that his oldest daughter was on the helicopter

[starkvegasdawg]

Terrible. I don't trust helicopters. It just seems like they have a lot of problems like this.

Which is weird considering they have the autorotate feature.

[Bothrops]

Helicopters have so many moving parts, and become impossible to control if something breaks down in the reduction gearing, and torque transmission sections.

[Lord McBuckethead]

There is some reports that his oldest daughter was on the helicopter

yeah, the newest report says his 13 year old daughter was on board, with another player and parent.

[starkvegasdawg]

Helicopters have so many moving parts, and become impossible to control if something breaks down in the reduction gearing, and torque transmission sections.

Oh, believe me, I know, but early indications are saying weather may have been a major factor. Was supposedly very foggy this morning out there.

[DownwardDawg]

Helicopters have so many moving parts, and become impossible to control if something breaks down in the reduction gearing, and torque transmission sections.

Y’all stop. I spend way too much time in choppers.

This is horrible horrible news. It’s tragic no matter but if his daughter was with him that’s just absolutely terrible. God bless that family.

[Ezsoil]

Yeah he was taking his daughter to a club basketball game ....his daughter and another player and their parent were also killed....

[BeardoMSU]

Yeah he was taking his daughter to a club basketball game ....his daughter and another player and their parent were also killed....

Damn. Hug your kids, y'all...

[Joebob]

3rd GOAT behind King James & MJ?

Jabbar
Malone
Lebron
Kobe
MJ

[R2Dawg]

2nd behind MJ if just using those three. Very sad news

Terrible news, prayers to family and to all others who lost loved ones in crash. Life is short, make the most of every day.

Yeah I put Kobe ahead of KJ as well.

[parabrave]

Which is weird considering they have the autorotate feature.

Need to wait for the investigation to be completed. Yep RWAC can autorotate but you still need to be in the right attitude with forward A/S and enough lift in your rotors for it to work out. And you especially need a clear flat place to land. Hilly areas with tall trees are not conducive to survivable landings. The FAA will look into Weather conditions, radar, was the A/C overloaded, pilot error and hundred of other items.

[Bothrops]

Oh, believe me, I know, but early indications are saying weather may have been a major factor. Was supposedly very foggy this morning out there.

Sounds likely that weather could have been a factor.

[OLJWales]

Stevie Ray Vaughn now Kobe. Two of the greatest in their professions die in copters.

[DownwardDawg]

Need to wait for the investigation to be completed. Yep RWAC can autorotate but you still need to be in the right attitude with forward A/S and enough lift in your rotors for it to work out. And you especially need a clear flat place to land. Hilly areas with tall trees are not conducive to survivable landings. The FAA will look into Weather conditions, radar, was the A/C overloaded, pilot error and hundred of other items.

Bird strikes are very common. Was it a Sikorsky?

[iPat09]

As someone who is training to be a pilot, I want to know what the pilot was thinking even taking off if the weather conditions were as bad as I have read. Mountains above 1,000 ft AGL and dense fog is not favorable. Reminds me of the balloon crash in Texas a few years ago. Took off in a low ceiling that was dropping even lower. Pilot should have said no, but we will never know what happened more than likely.

[RocketDawg]

As someone who is training to be a pilot, I want to know what the pilot was thinking even taking off if the weather conditions were as bad as I have read. Mountains above 1,000 ft AGL and dense fog is not favorable. Reminds me of the balloon crash in Texas a few years ago. Took off in a low ceiling that was dropping even lower. Pilot should have said no, but we will never know what happened more than likely.

I have no idea, but it's possible that the weather conditions weren't that bad when he took off. Was watching the PGA tournament a little yesterday from La Jolla, and the marine layer moved in literally in a couple of minutes, and was gone after after another five. That could've been what happened today.

That said, a guy on the ground said it sounded like the chopper was having mechanical problems.

[parabrave]

As someone who is training to be a pilot, I want to know what the pilot was thinking even taking off if the weather conditions were as bad as I have read. Mountains above 1,000 ft AGL and dense fog is not favorable. Reminds me of the balloon crash in Texas a few years ago. Took off in a low ceiling that was dropping even lower. Pilot should have said no, but we will never know what happened more than likely.

When I flew in Korea as well as a few of some other posters here; we can tell you flying in mountain areas are totally different than flat to hilly ones. You might be clear blue and 22 with not a cloud in sight then go through a pass and you are in whiteout conditions where the pucker factor is 10. If the PIC is not Inst qualified then that a/c is fucd. As for WX forecasting most of the times you have to rely on PIREPS to know what the WX is in those areas due to radars not being able to look down or even not picking up the fog. Fog is strange and it moves. But we still have to wait for the FAA to finish the investigation/ And Ipat good luck make sure you do get your inst ticket.

[iPat09]

When I flew in Korea as well as a few of some other posters here; we can tell you flying in mountain areas are totally different than flat to hilly ones. You might be clear blue and 22 with not a cloud in sight then go through a pass and you are in whiteout conditions where the pucker factor is 10. If the PIC is not Inst qualified then that a/c is fucd. As for WX forecasting most of the times you have to rely on PIREPS to know what the WX is in those areas due to radars not being able to look down or even not picking up the fog. Fog is strange and it moves. But we still have to wait for the FAA to finish the investigation/ And Ipat good luck make sure you do get your inst ticket.

Not to take this too far off topic, but weather is certainly strange. I knew weather can change quickly but I have never experienced in mountainous terrain. If it ends up being because of a 10 minute IFR windows, that will be really sad. And I agree, this FAA and NTSB report will be an interesting.

I'm training in LTA and try not to rely on intruments too much. All we really carry is ALT, GPS, and TEMP to measure how hot it is inside the envelope. We're not even supposed to take off if there is fog in the area since we can't fly IFR. But thanks! My brother already has his LTA Commercial, so I have some catching up to do.

[parabrave]

Not to take this too far off topic, but weather is certainly strange. I knew weather can change quickly but I have never experienced in mountainous terrain. If it ends up being because of a 10 minute IFR windows, that will be really sad. And I agree, this FAA and NTSB report will be an interesting.

I'm training in LTA and try not to rely on intruments too much. All we really carry is ALT, GPS, and TEMP to measure how hot it is inside the envelope. We're not even supposed to take off if there is fog in the area since we can't fly IFR. But thanks! My brother already has his LTA Commercial, so I have some catching up to do.

Also on the WX side is they had I believe 10 on board. I know the S76 is a powerful A.C and is a mainstay for civilian transport but 10 is a good sized load. They will check the DA at the time of the incident also/

[jdelta02]

The best to family, everyone.

[parabrave]

Dam dont know if this is real but they have the ATC recording with the A/C posted on youtube VASAvaition channel. another Channel is this pilot named Blancolirio. If this is real then that Pilot Fd up.

[BuckyIsAB****]

Doesnt seem real to me. Legend and a great father.

[HaggardDawg]

TMZ has the Flight Tower audio in this link along with a timetable. Somebody translate please. Tragic

https://www.tmz.com/2020/01/26/kobe-bryant-killed-dead-helicopter-crash-in-calabasas/

[HaggardDawg]

Sounds like the pilot turned the chopper right into the side of a mountain at 185mph. Damn

[Bothrops]

The copter was holding for some IFR departures from Van Nuys airport, according ATC, then proceeded to the airport and apparently and very likely, got lost in the fog bank where the pilot got disoriented and flew into the hillside, which was obscured in the fog.

[HaggardDawg]

I'm not a pilot but I'm curious about the the mindset of a pilot who has their instrument rating when they encounter a situation like this. How hard is it to just use your instruments and not your "feel". I'm sure when getting instrument rated that the instructors pound it in your head to trust your instruments and block out everything else.

[iPat09]

I'm not a pilot but I'm curious about the the mindset of a pilot who has their instrument rating when they encounter a situation like this. How hard is it to just use your instruments and not your "feel". I'm sure when getting instrument rated that the instructors pound it in your head to trust your instruments and block out everything else.

I know of at least one incident when it comes to ballooning when the pilot didn't trust his instruments. They said he was climbing, but he thought he was falling, so he kept using the burner and adding more heat. Ended up overheating the envelope, burned away some the support structure and the vent at the top slipped out of place. That said, in my training for balloons, I've been told not to fully rely on instruments and to get a feel for what the aircraft is doing. Not sure about other forms of aviation, but they do need instruments more than us LTA guys.

[Bothrops]

I know of at least one incident when it comes to ballooning when the pilot didn't trust his instruments. They said he was climbing, but he thought he was falling, so he kept using the burner and adding more heat. Ended up overheating the envelope, burned away some the support structure and the vent at the top slipped out of place. That said, in my training for balloons, I've been told not to fully rely on instruments and to get a feel for what the aircraft is doing. Not sure about other forms of aviation, but they do need instruments more than us LTA guys.

I went up in a balloon once, and got dizzy as hell.

[SilentSteel16]

Ok, this is a bad deal, but this is a classic example of CFIT (controlled flight into terrain.) the weather was SVFR (Special Visual flight rules,) which mean the weather was not horrendous but not great. I just set through my company briefing and we went over complacency and exterior flight pressures (which this more than likely was.)

BTW I am an ATP Instrument type 139 rated helicopter pilot. I have been flying helicopters commercially since 2004. There is one standing rule in my company, Don?t 17 with FOG.

He was flying through a helicopter transit area which are normally 1500 feet or lower. This would of course put him below most peaks in the area. So even if he was in VFR conditions once you get on the windward side of a valley those conditions change. The ATC recording of this actually shows radar coverage until he makes a left turn into a valley and then radar is lost (crash.). The aircraft was a B model Sikorsky 76 which is a reliable but old aircraft. I think it is absolutely crazy to be flying SVFR sorties with that many people on board single pilot. My company demands two pilots for 5 or more pax.

Island Helicopters in CA is known to not be very pilot friendly meaning they cater to pax. This is where pilot pressure gets involved, the pilot is the one ultimately making the go no go call, but if pressed enough by VIPs, the managers press the pilots and they fly in crap they should never be in. I have seen this firsthand and have actually told a CEO of a Fortune 10 company ?to go kiss his wife because if we take off now in this weather you will never do it again.? Most pilots especially foreigners (which he was) won?t stand up to VIP pax. Not saying Kobe directly pressured him to fly but the flight was originally delayed for weather, VIP get anxious when they are late.

[SilentSteel16]

And to answer someone?s question earlier about transitioning to instruments. In most cases S76, Aw139 or S92. You fly over 80 percent by the instruments. With the dash and angle of pitch up you can?t see crap anyway. Takeoffs and landings are done manually and visually unless absolutely necessary to be head down in a cockpit (2 pilot team.) Almost the entire world flys two pilots so one can be head down on instrument and the other pilot is ?outside? watching for obstacles. Faith in instruments is essential in aviation. Those gauges are not wrong as long as you update your settings with the altimeter settings for the given area.

Also, helicopters are safer than airplanes when flown correctly. If we have engine problems we can autorotate to the ground which is very much controlled and for the most part is more gentle and smooth than a power on landing. There is also the fact that we can land anywhere that is flat versus airplanes having to have at least 300 yards straight and level at a minimum to hopefully glide to and make an emergency landing. Helicopters glide as well, granted not as far because we are generally much lower than aircraft. But I will say most airplane accidents you hear about are weekend warriors with less than 1000 hours which is very dangerous. You know just enough to be dangerous and kill someone.

[SilentSteel16]

This pilot would not have been on instruments due to the valleys. He was visual all the way with the route he was flying there is no way he was flying that IFR, it is against the law to be below mountain peaks enroute flying by instruments. He more than likely made that windward side turn and flew right into a wall of fog. At that point your guess is as good as his which way to go. Best option would be to go into a high rate of climb, any turn laterally would put you in the side of the mountain (which is what happened.) can?t go lower because the fog gets thicker lower. Very bad situation. They had been flying for 40 minutes and seemed to have plenty of fuel if he could have ever gotten turned around. Plus it was VFR conditions on the leeward side which is where he came from.

[defiantdog]

Why a single pilot? And why fly when even the police grounded all of their helicopters because of fog?

[parabrave]

This pilot would not have been on instruments due to the valleys. He was visual all the way with the route he was flying there is no way he was flying that IFR, it is against the law to be below mountain peaks enroute flying by instruments. He more than likely made that windward side turn and flew right into a wall of fog. At that point your guess is as good as his which way to go. Best option would be to go into a high rate of climb, any turn laterally would put you in the side of the mountain (which is what happened.) can?t go lower because the fog gets thicker lower. Very bad situation. They had been flying for 40 minutes and seemed to have plenty of fuel if he could have ever gotten turned around. Plus it was VFR conditions on the leeward side which is where he came from.

He had a VFR clearance and he was following a highway to some arena. He should have never had gone down that Valley.

[SilentSteel16]

So yeah that is the rub... single pilot IFR is done in select industries. They also do it in 139s in Jersey but they don?t have mountains there. This was clearly a contributing factor. Due to the amount of people on board they probably could not have the second pilot on board due to weight. Unfortunately this was probably pushed on the pilot and he was trying to make the best of it to alleviate customer time restraints.

It has been my experience that the guys that use aviation as their way around town never leave themselves enough time to drive to their destination because they are banking on the aircraft getting there quicker. They use that extra time to screw around non business related as opposed to driving time.

Again I am unfamiliar with that particular route but it was a ?helicopter thorough-way.? I am sure he had flown it several times because he did sound competent on the radio. I believe the climbing banking turn was an effect of his EGPWS ?Ground proximity warning system? going off. Although it is VERY common practice to disarm this system while navigating mountain valleys due to customer complaints nothing like looking up front and seeing a bunch of flashing warning CAS messages.

Also, from what I am hearing they believe he took off above gross weight which means he had tanked up on fuel because of weather concerns. The ?Swiss cheese model? would have saved their lives but most companies don?t utilize this tool.