The National Transportation Safety Board announced Tuesday the final results of their investigation into the helicopter crash that killed Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna, and seven others on January 26, 2020.
The crash was likely caused by pilot Ara Zobayan's “spatial disorientation." In other words he became disoriented while trying to climb above cloud, NTSB officials said. Putting the blame directly on pilot error, the NTSB found that Zobayan didn't follow training or devise a backup plan to handle the worsening weather.
According to Daily News, as Zobayan stayed level at around 1,400 feet, he cut southwest to the 101 Freeway, heading toward the Ventura County border. But as soon as he encountered the dense clouds of the Malibu Canyon area, things began to get complicated and dangerous.
"While still flying west above the 101, Zobayan suddenly made a left turn deeper into the cloudy area – records show he told air traffic controllers he would try to ascend to 4,000 feet to come out on top of the clouds. But altitude data showed he was actually descending, according to data released by the NTSB," the Daily News reports.
The NTSB had said previously that there were no signs of mechanical failure.
Island Express Helicopters has denied responsibility for the crash and said it was “an act of God.”
Vanessa Bryant, Kobe’s widow has blamed Zobayan. She filed a wrongful death suit against the helicopter company a month after the crash.
Island Express, in turn, sued two air traffic controllers they claim were responsible for the crash.
Island Express alleges the pilot asked the air traffic controllers for guidance due to heavy fog, but the controllers denied the pilot use of what could have been life-saving radar, according to TMZ.
Robert Sumwalt, chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board, said that Zobayan, a pilot with a decade of experience, was flying under visual flight rules, which meant that he needed to be able to see where he was going.
The helicopter did not have the so-called “black box” recording devices, which were not required.
“I think the whole world is watching because it’s Kobe,” said Ed Coleman, an Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University professor and aircraft safety science expert.
In addition to Kobe and his daughter, Orange Coast College baseball coach John Altobelli, his wife, Keri, and their daughter Alyssa; Christina Mauser, who helped Bryant coach his daughter’s basketball team; and Sarah Chester and her daughter Payton were all killed in the helicopter crash in Calabasas.
Associated Press contributed to this story.