Investigators have revealed that the helicopter on which Kobe Bryant, his daughter, and seven other people died was not equipped with crash-proof voice and data recorders.
The Sikorsky S-76B helicopter wasn’t required to have the black boxes, National Transportation Safety Board member Jennifer Homendy said at the agency’s first briefing since the accident.
The pilot of the aircraft, Ara Zibayan requested permission to climb to avoid a cloud layer and then made a descending turn and struck a hillside, Homendy said. An air-traffic controller radioed back to the pilot asking him what he planned to do and there was no reply.
Preliminary reports indicate the pilot was confused or was reacting to some unusual condition as it climbed and turned away from its route, according to aviation safety experts.
The pilot, identified as Ara Zobayan, had been flying under what are known as “special” visual rules, which allow for flying in deteriorating weather but that still required him to stay clear of clouds and low visibility. If pilots flying under visual rules choose to fly into clouds, FAA rules require that they radio a controller for permission.