I can't find any of the graphic photos anywhere, not even on /sp/.
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Ara Zobayan, the pilot of the helicopter that crashed and killed Kobe Bryant, himself and seven others, was reprimanded in 2015 for flying into airspace with reduced visibility without permission.
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LOS ANGELES -- The pilot of a helicopter that crashed into a Southern California hillside and killed Kobe Bryant, himself and seven others was reprimanded five years ago for flying without permission into airspace while he had reduced visibility, according to a Federal Aviation Administration enforcement record.
Ara Zobayan was counseled by an FAA investigator after he violated FAA rules by crossing into busy airspace near Los Angeles International Airport on May 11, 2015, according to the record, which was first reported Friday by the Los Angeles Times.
The record doesn't indicate whether Zobayan was carrying any passengers at the time.
Zobayan, 50, died Jan. 26 when his helicopter plunged at high speed into a hillside in Calabasas, northwest of Los Angeles. Zobayan had been trying to climb above a cloud layer when the aircraft banked left and plunged 1,200 feet (366 meters) at high speed. There has been speculation that the pilot became disoriented in the foggy weather. The crash remains under investigation.
The crash also killed Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, and six others. The victims will be honored Monday at a public memorial at Staples Center in Los Angeles.
At the time, Zobayan was chief pilot for the charter service Island Express Helicopters Inc.
He was flying for the same company during the 2015 incident.
According to the FAA report, Zobayan's helicopter was near the Hawthorne, California, airport and heading north when he asked the LAX tower for permission to cross LAX airspace. Zobayan was told that weather conditions didn't meet the minimum for pilots using visual flight rules (VFR) -- that is, flying by sight.
Zobayan was asked whether he could maintain "VFR conditions."
Zobayan replied that he could "maintain special VFR" -- meaning he sought permission to fly by sight in less-than-optimal visibility.
When air traffic control denied the request and told him to stay clear of the area, Zobayan replied that he could "maintain VFR," but during the conversation, the helicopter entered the airspace, according to the record.
Zobayan contacted authorities and his company after the incident and was cooperative. But an FAA investigator faulted him for failing to properly plan and review current weather at LAX, which would have allowed him time to communicate earlier with the tower to receive clearance, according to the record.
The report said Zobayan "admitted his error, took responsibility for his action, and was willing to take any other necessary steps toward compliance.''
"There are no indications that this is a repeated incident and there are no signs that this incident is a trend with Mr. Zobayan," the report said.
Zobayan was counseled "on operating in Class B airspace, special VFR weather minimums, proper planning, reviewing weather, and anticipating required action," the report said. "He was cooperative and receptive to the counseling."
Island Express Helicopters Inc. reported that it conducted additional ground and flight training with Zobayan.
Veteran helicopter pilots were divided over the severity of the FAA violation, the Times reported.
"I don't know a single pilot out there who hasn't violated a rule," Shawn Coyle said. "If that's the only violation he's ever had then I would say he's pretty safe."
But former Island Express pilot Kurt Deetz said entering LAX airspace without approval can be dangerous because of the possible presence of commercial jets. He also questioned Zobayan's communication with air traffic controllers.
"You can't request special VFR and then they deny you and you say, 'Oh wait a minute, actually I'm VFR,'" he told the Times. "That's not how it works. It shows that perhaps his understanding of special VFR as opposed to VFR was cloudy."
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Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies shared graphic images of the helicopter crash that killed Kobe Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter and seven others, The Los Angeles Times reported Thursday.
www.foxnews.com
archived 2 Mar 2020 00:19:56 UTC
archive.ph
Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies shared graphic images of the helicopter crash that killed Kobe Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter and seven others, The Los Angeles Times reported Thursday.
Two days after the Jan. 26 crash, first responders were talking about how images of victims’ remains and the debris field were being shared, a source told the newspaper.
The source said they saw one of the photos on the phone of another official in a setting that had nothing to do with the investigation.
It’s not clear if deputies actually snapped the images at the scene or received them from someone else.
It’s also unclear how widely the photos were shared or who exactly was involved.
The Sheriff’s Department said Thursday that the “matter is being looked into,” following multiple inquiries by The Times.
The NBA legend, 41, his daughter, Gianna, and seven others — Christina Mauser; Payton and Sarah Chester; John, Keri and Alyssa Altobelli; and pilot Ara Zobayan — died when Bryant’s helicopter collided with a Calabasas hillside amid dense fog.
The group had been on their way to a youth basketball game in Thousand Oaks.
Bryant’s widow, Vanessa Bryant, has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the company that operated the chopper.
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Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department deputies linked to the alleged display of gruesome Kobe Bryant crash-scene photos in a California bar were told they could avoid discipline if they simply deleted the photos, according to a report.
www.foxnews.com
archived 2 Mar 2020 00:22:25 UTC
archive.ph
Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department deputies linked to the alleged display of gruesome Kobe Bryant crash-scene photos in a California bar were told they could avoid discipline if they simply admitted involvement and deleted the photos, according to a report.
But the disclosure of the alleged quiet attempt to let the deputies off the hook could amount to destruction of evidence, a source told The Los Angeles Times.
The sheriff’s department learned of the alleged bar incident from a citizen’s complaint, the newspaper reported. The citizen reportedly saw a deputy showing the crash-scene photos, which had been stored on a cellphone, at a bar in Norwalk, about 17 miles southeast of downtown Los Angeles.
Several other sources told the newspaper they had witnessed crash-scene photos being shown in settings that had nothing to do with the crash investigation – alleged behavior that Patti Giggans, chairwoman of the sheriff’s department’s Civilian Oversight Commission, described as “completely unprofessional” and “very regrettable.”
Brian Williams, executive director of the commission, told the Times his office planned to question sheriff’s department officials about the matter at a meeting next week.
Sheriff Alex Villanueva’s department issued a statement Friday saying it was “deeply disturbed” by the alleged misuse of the photos and promised “a thorough investigation.”
Two days earlier, Villanueva did not respond when asked if he ordered the deletion of the photos, the Times reported.
The Jan. 26 helicopter crash killed Bryant, a retired star for the NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers, his daughter Gigi, plus the copter’s pilot and six other passengers. The cause of the crash remained under investigation but weather-related concerns were considered a likely contributing factor.
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