On January 27, 2020, a piece of news shocked the world: NBA Lakers legend Kobe and his daughter GiGi were killed in a helicopter accident. Everyone on the plane was spared. After the news was sent, all players and fans could not accept this fact until Kobe's wife Vanessa confirmed the news on social media. Players and fans have expressed their grief over Kobe's death, and Lakers superstar James even cried at the airport.
In the past year, everyone has been speculating on what caused the crash. As the helicopter flew into the mountain and crashed, the fuselage was smashed to pieces, making it impossible to distinguish the original appearance. The initial judgment given by the investigator was that the helicopter pilot was still flying even when the weather did not allow it, which eventually caused the plane to lose control and crash.
On February 10, 2021, one year later, Robert Sam Walter, chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), said: "The helicopter pilot in the Kobe crash knew that the weather was not suitable for takeoff. The act of flying into the clouds was still maintained. Flying into the clouds was an illegal act at that time." This mistaken operation of the pilot finally caused a catastrophe.
It is reported that Kobe originally took a helicopter to accompany GiGi to participate in basketball training and competitions. There were also a family of three basketball players and coaches on the plane.
NTSB also said that in previous inspections of the helicopter's engine and rotor, it did not find any problems that could cause catastrophic failure. The pilot was supposed to fly in accordance with the visual flight rules. He needed to judge the flight status of the helicopter and use his vision to determine the position. But he violated this rule during the operation. Due to the lack of vision of the pilots, they may cause "space loss" during the flight, thereby making a wrong judgment on the flight status and direction of the aircraft.
In addition, the black box or other evidence of the plane cannot prove that Kobe asked his queen pilot to risk flying in such a harsh environment. Moreover, the helicopter pilot Zobayan is an experienced pilot who has passed the certification for flying with instruments in low visibility conditions. But this certification is based on the pilot’s visual distance of at least half a mile,And must be able to see the ground.
There is a guess that because Kobe fully trusts Zobayan, this caused Zobayan's psychological pressure, and he felt that he must complete the flight well. So insist on taking off knowing that there is a risk.
Originally, this flight accident could be avoided. We can also hear in the helicopter recording that the contact center has asked the pilot to land in a safe area. If you can land safely in time, do not force through the clouds, you may not lose your way and fly into the mountains in the end.
But things are over, and we can't get anything back. Many fans will wonder why the results of the air crash investigation were only released after a year. In fact, this is not just an air crash report. It also warns the subsequent pilots and passengers to ensure that the aircraft and the surrounding environment are normal and suitable for flight during the flight. Don't try to take off forcibly. Once something goes wrong, a flight accident is inevitable, and it is not as simple as crashing a car on the road.
I hope everyone will protect themselves, pay attention to safety, and wish everyone well.
