Kobe Bryant helicopter makers had repeatedly warned about missing terrain system before crash
KOBE Bryant helicopter makers had repeatedly warned its customers about the missing terrain system before the fatal chopper crash that left nine dead.
Sikorsky, the helicopter manufacturer, regularly notified fliers of enhanced technology offerings available for their aircraft through various means, the company told The Sun.
However, it is unknown whether the owner of the helicopter, Island Express Holding Corp., ever received the warning.
The Sun attempted to make contact with the owner and did not receive a response.
The chopper in Sunday’s crash was missing the Terrain Awareness and Warning System (TAWS) – which is recommended by the National Transit Safety Board but is not mandatory for private choppers.
Kobe Bryan’ts helicopter was missing this potentially life-saving warning system that could have alerted the pilot before the fatal mountain crash.
It was revealed Tuesday that the Mamba Chopper was missing a black box recording system that most airplanes have.
A statement from Sikorsky, shared to The Sun on Thursday, read: “We are deeply saddened by the news about the S-76B accident in Calabasas; California.
“Our heartfelt condolences and thoughts are with the families, friends and communities who lost loved ones.
“We have resources on-site and are actively supporting the NTSB investigation and our customer.
“Safety is our top priority. If there are any actionable findings from the investigation, we will immediately inform our S-76 customers.”
TAWS and a black box have been a standard of Sikorsky since their S-76D model was introduced about eight years ago, TMZ reported.
The downed Sikorsky S-76B helicopter was missing the terrain awareness warning system which alerts pilots when they fly too close to obstacles.
The chopper smashed into the side of a steep left bank, just clearing the mountain’s peak.
The NTSB previously made two recommendations to the Federal Aviation Administration that the government agency require helicopters carrying six or more passengers to have the technology installed, but the FAA refused.
TAWS would have been helpful for the chopper to have, however, one expert said there’s no guarantee it would have prevented the fatal crash.
Gregory Feith, a former senior air safety investigator for the NTSB said the system can throw up false warnings, leading to pilots tuning the alerts out.
According to the New York Times, Feith said: “With what the pilot was doing with Kobe Bryant, it would be beneficial, but when you’re following a highway with hills nearby, you get false warnings”.
But he was quick to add that any tools, including TAWS can be used by pilots “to keep themselves out of harm’s way”.
The pilot of Kobe’s doomed helicopter – Ara Zobayan – has been wrongly blamed and “victimized” over the crash, but did “everything right”, a close told The Sun this week.
Mike Ballew, 72, who lives in the same condo complex as Zobayan in Huntington Beach, California, paid tribute to his friend and defended him from those who have blamed him for the crash.
He told The Sun: “From my point of view he [Ara] seems to have been kind of like victimized, to say that it was all his fault.
“Because he did everything right, he went up the right corridor, he came up behind the Burbank airport and then dropped down to the 101, tracking the 101 up to Calabasas.
“I think it was engine failure but it’s all speculation right now.”
The pilot would have been the one to make the final decision on whether to fly, the FAA confirmed to The Sun.
They also confirmed that Ara had a current license to fly using instruments – called IFR.
However he was flying without instruments on Sunday morning up until the crash that killed Kobe, according to flight data, using a type of flying called Special Visual Flight Rules (VFR), where a pilot navigates by sight.
Questions remain about the cause of the crash and a local and federal investigation is still underway.
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Kobe and his daughter Gianna, 13, both lost their lives when their helicopter smashed into the side of a hillside, before bursting into flames, in foggy conditions.
College baseball coach John Altobelli, his wife Keri, and their daughter Alyssa, Christina Mauser, a coach at Kobe’s Mamba Sports Academy, passengers Sarah and Payton Chester, also lost their lives.
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