Hindsight - The Kobe Bryant Crash

In this first video of our new series HINDSIGHT by MzeroA, Jason leads us through what transpired in the Kobe Bryant crash and how we can learn from it.
In this video
00:00 Intro
00:45 Accident overview
01:20 Text messages
02:56 Start of NTSB Report and Analysis
03:46 ATC Radar and Communications
07:45 NTSB Analysis Continued
09:00 Takeaways What Can We Learn
10:52 Closing
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[@soorajmusic]

I was supposed to fly a Cherokee that morning with my mom from VNY. I went out to preflight, and I literally _couldn’t see the hill due to fog_ in front of 16R which is usually visible. I finished the preflight and went back in, told her it didn’t look like it was good weather (I didn’t have my IFR rating yet, I was still a newly-minted private pilot). It didn’t clear up over the next hour or so, so we didn’t go. As I was packing up to go my instructor came rushing in with reports that a helicopter possibly carrying Kobe Bryant had crashed nearby. I’ll never forget that day in my life. The shock, the relief (of making the decision not to go) and the sadness combined….

[@HittokiriBatosai]

Good decision. Good thing to come out of that tragedy, I hope you'll never second guess future decisions not to takeoff because of this.

[@VazPro7]

I was suppose to fly to KAVX from KVNY vfr with my parents that day. I canceled an hour before my flight, weather was really crappy it was a solid IFR morning. I remember weather was forecasted to improve that morning and never did. Went to have breakfast with a friend instead. On the way he called me and gave me the news. ill never forget that day either.

[@jimmyhuynh6049]

I think the disadvantage Ara had was he was flying out of SNA in the OC where the skies looked better. By the time he reached the weather you saw he had "get there itis." I wish Kobe's driver who was at Camarillo took pics of the weather you guys saw and texted him before take off. just my opinion on the matter

[@jackie4350]

Thanks goodness you and your mom are safe it's too bad that pilot of the helicopter didn't feel the same way

[@A1Kira]

@@jackie4350Oh he did feel the same way, he knew it was dangerous. But he wanted to please Kobe.

[@drewleevy5420]

This taught me that when your gut says it's not a good idea, It's more than likely not a good idea. I also have a few trusted pilots a phone call away that can help me make a tough objective go/no-go decision

[@swango1]

I am a low-hour private pilot (fixed wing), but I have been in a handful of situations where I cancelled due to weather forecasts....which ended up turning out to be totally fine VFR conditions. I have zero regrets cancelling any one of them, because I made the best decision based on the information I had. Is it frustrating? Of course. But as pilots, we all need to accept the consequences of our decisions and make the best decisions based on what information we have. When other people's influences are involved, we pilots need to be able to squash our pride and be prepared to disappoint those passengers we are responsible for. Great video, Jason. Thanks for sharing.

[@dop3ameen113]

Very true my man. External pressures are something we must always be aware of.

[@yjackovics1]

I learned to fly out of KVNY and my homebase is KCMA. I lived in between in Agoura Hills, which is actually where the crash took place, just 3 short miles away. That morning it was the usual ocean fog settled over the mountains. For reference, the 101 freeway slices between a canyon of small mountains for about 8 miles. Fog is very typical there in the early mornings during winter and usually burns away by mid day. I kept thinking that if only....... if only he followed the 118 to Camarillo which was burning off and most likely VFR at that time. Why he switched to the 101 is beyond me as all locals know, stays foggy longer into the day. He possibly was trying to save time he used up while holding earlier in tbe flight. ("MAYBE GOTTA GET THERE ITIS").... if only.... There is a memorial on the hillside now, and everytime I pass it, it reminds me to never get too comfortable when flying around terrain, even if you know the area by heart.

[@bravo3541]

We as human beings like to tell others what they want to hear, but there comes a time in every profession or activity (not just flying) when you must stand firm and stand by your experience and or convictions, and tell others what they do not want to hear. That is "I'm sorry, but we cannot do this today". Suffer through the frowns and griping and press on. Valuable video. Thanks.

[@LeantoPeak]

The pressure of "getting there" and taking our passengers to the destination should never overcome the pressure of not killing them. I've had to cancel flights before because the weather was looking "shady" and I will gladly take that decision over and over again. I've been uncomfortable in the air before and I much prefer the "discomfort" of disappointing passengers, compared to the "discomfort" of feeling unsafe up there. Fly safe everyone!

[@dvpro1]

As someone who lives and flies in the Camarillo area and is very familiar with the socal sector, coastal Wx is no joke. I've studied this flight in depth and there are decisions made that we'll never know however this just wasn't your casual cfit. The pilot had other options to get to KCMA. The route he took was the faster more direct way however he could have stayed to the north to find a pocket to climb up for vfr on top but obviously the best option was to land at vny and get a car service. It's about 45 min drive from there to his academy. Get there-itis, running late... High profile pax, scud running... And I'm sure he's done it many times. Personal minimums exist for a reason

[@creolelady182]

I was an air evac paramedic in the military and I was always on helicopters. Those military pilots were some of the best.

[@kevinmalone3210]

The military provides some of the best training you can have. The pressure is non stop during your training, and if you don't measure up to their standards, you're out.

[@dreyna14]

I was flying that morning, shooting approaches into OXR and CMA. The tops were right at 3,000 and a good solid layer. Below, the ceiling was a graduate mush. The official observations were deceiving as they implied decent visibility until reaching the cloud deck. On my last approach, if they had made it through Calabasas, they would have been a couple miles behind me going into CMA. I learned about it about 20 minutes after I landed. I took a photo of the while being vectored downwind with a timestamp that was within a minute of them going down.

[@lyingcat9022]

Thanks for this PIREP. I’d be interested to see that picture. Do you have it uploaded anywhere? Blue Skies :)

[@stephen.rutherford]

Very well presented. Respectful to those we lost and factual to the circumstances. Visuals were helpful to the story. Well done. May those lost rest in peace.

[@TheKevintegra19]

I know this area well, as I grew up here, they are following the 101 Freeway North to Camarillo which climbs up out of the SF Valley and then descends into Calabasas. At the junction of the 101 Freeway and Malibu Canyon, the terrain is mountainous on three sides of this intersection where both the freeway and adjacent terrain start to rise sharply. The pilot made a left turn to avoid rising terrain going West over Malibu Canyon and started to climb to gain altitude and rapidly proceeded into IMC (eyewitness video available) and then started to climb hard. As he continued his circling climb to the left (South) in thick fog/clouds, I think the pilot confused hard g forces in a turn for climbing hard g and didn’t realize he was now actually descending and turning hard. Ultimately they could have simply landed at Van Nuys Airport en route, and it’s possible he was intent on returning to Van Nuys and just briefly lost situational awareness. All of this was completely unnecessary and avoidable and therefore tragic. Love and condolences to all involved in this terrible accident. ☮️💟✝️

[@MrRawnerves]

I am an S76C++ rated pilot. You can not find a better helicopter to fly IFR. Three-axis autopilot, weather radar and radar altimeter equipped. The problem that all of us have is not committing to transitioning to instruments the moment we go IMC. If he would have climbed and confessed to approach that he was IMC and declare an emergency he would have given priority and shoot an approach at any airport and saved everyone. Now, he would have been violated by the FAA but they would have been alive. Is that fear of having to admit going IMC and having to face the FAA that forces helicopter pilots to drop down to remain VMC and that's what kills many of us.

[@Murdock987]

I couldn’t agree with this more. I always felt him being the Chief, knowing the FAA would hammer him, had to have influenced his decision to try to turn back.

[@glenngarland4221]

The S76A and B models I flew in the 80’s and 90’s came standard with a four axis Sperry DDAFCS autopilot. It is a great system, SPZ-7000 I believe.

[@gregsscubavids5128]

Richard, if he had engaged the autopilot when the spatial disorientation hit him and before the huge descent excursion, would the machine have stabilized the situation? Don’t have autopilot in my C172 and haven’t used one. Thanks.

[@MrRawnerves]

@@gregsscubavids5128 George ( better known as autopilot) flies that aircraft better than most pilots. But you have to be confident in letting George fly the machine. You also have to practice using it so you know what is going to happen when you first engage it, specially when you get spatially disoriented. I’m assuming because he was special VFR he was hand flying the aircraft. Inadvertent IMC is hardly ever inadvertent. You are pushing the weather and the visibility and ceiling keeps coming down and you keep slowing down and dropping down until puff, you’re in the clouds slow and low. Our company has a mandatory procedure to prevent this. If you have to slow down below 90kts to maintain visibility or if you have to drop down to 500 ft AGL that will triggered and immediate turn around. We have reduced tremendously the inadvertent IMC situations in helicopters. Let’s just imagine that he punched in, immediately began to turn and the rate of descend increased, as long as the aircraft was flying faster than 55kts which we call V MINI for autopilot couple speed, all he had to do was to press the heading button in the autopilot control panel and the aircraft would had rolled wings level on that heading. The next step would have been to press the indicated airspeed button to lock the speed he had at that moment and finally dialed a climbing altitude, let’s say 4,000 ft and press the Vertical speed button and the aircraft would have climb to that altitude on the selected heading and the lock speed when he engaged it. This was his local area. He must have known the altitudes of the mountains , here is when company procedures come in. Our company when we get sign off to fly the local flying area, we have to demonstrate an inadvertent IMC procedure that is written verbatim. Wings level Heading to avoid obstacles Power to climb Airspeed to climb Climb to minimum safe altitude based on local area ( antennas, terrain etc) Contact ATC declare emergency Squawk 7700 Request vectors for ILS or clear weather areas. If He would have done that, he would popped out of the clouds at 3,000 ft according to the local weather reports , call SoCal approach to declare an emergency, And all of them would have been alive today. Yes he would have been violated by the FAA and maybe a letter in his file a little embarrassed but alive. What would have been better, alive an embarrassed or disgraced and dead? Weather is unforgiving. If you are flying VFR and have to slow down and drop down to remained VMC that is the clue to turn around and stop trying to find a hole to get through. Everyone who has read this post to this point, should utilize the procedures that our company has establish as your very own personal minimums. Most of you fly with the people you loved most in the world your, family. They trust you blindly with your decisions. Don't make the wrong decisions with them onboard.

[@gregsscubavids5128]

Thanks, Richard. Your detailed response was not only thorough but instructive. I only have an hour in an R44, but your procedures I find useful even modified for a non-autopilot equipped fixed wing. Safe flying. G

[@mcorrive12]

Very well presented. Agreed, though it's difficult to replay these events, we owe it to the victims, ourselves, and our passengers to learn from these events.

[@SleepyStud]

Great job Jason. So sad. You can never be too safe up there.

[@kb9liq]

I have flown in that very helicopter back when the state of IL owed it. And oddly the day we were flying the weather kept us on the ground for longer than we wanted to be. But we did make the flight. I can remember looking out the front window and not being able to see anything until we got almost back to the airport. The trip that day was to test IDOT setting up a local landing zone in the grass near one their buildings. Back then it had one less seat in it and I found out later that bird was underpowered. So with moore weight on board it is not going to respond as well

[@glennwatson]

Looks like a very similar accident here in Australia last week unfortunately.

[@oldlineaviation2830]

I only have about 30 hours and still working towards my Sport Pilot Cert, but my minimums are set high and if the metar is over that number (or under depending on the figure), I don't fly. I let the metar make my decision.

[@sweetsstarr7058]

I really enjoyed this video it really helped me to understand how this happened, bless you and keep up the great job on teaching,

[@Deanjacob7]

Biggest take away: no flight is more important than safety

[@markpartridge9046]

Great insight thank you.

[@darrens.4322]

Very nice presentation and host. Thank you! I enjoy you instill upon us that any pilot is vulnerable and not immune to making a mistake(s) that could cost us lives and the hull. Having been studying aviation accidents (crashes) and safety for decades, one of the best things to remember is most often crashes are not caused by a single event/decision, but rather a CHAIN of factors/decisions that lead the way to the final destruction. They key is recognizing we are part of the chain-building and break that one link in the chain that could determine an outcome of life versus death. It might be as simple as diverting to our alternate early, or after takeoff saying "I don't like this" and returning to our departure airport. Get-Home-Itis or destinationitis is a big problem, and we must not allow schedule pressure or a passenger/boss to pressure us to destination. We are the PIC, and ultimately responsibly for the safety of flight.

[@adrianaaparicio9454]

I love you as the narrator

[@_planejoe_]

It's sad to talk about but it's so beneficial to review these accidents and educate the flying community on the mistakes made. Great analysis, loving the hindsight series, thanks Jason and team!

[@matthewobrien9251]

Great video.

[@ThatBobGuy850]

Nice video, Jason! I think people - especially fixed-wing pilots - do not understand just how unstable helicopters are. Even a "sophisticated" aircraft like the S-76 is horribly unstable with the stability augmentation system and autopilot turned off. Indications are that Ara was hand-flying it as he was being squeezed between rising terrain and lowering clouds to the southwest of Burbank. We can surmise that he "punched-in" and lost visual reference. The subsequent turn, whether deliberate or accidental (we don't know) got steeper and steeper until the ship was nearly inverted, which would explain the 4,000 fpm rate of descent. Almost assuredly, Ara was task-saturated at that moment, Maybe he was fiddling with the GPS...maybe he was talking to Kobe who surely wanted to know what was going on. Maybe he was trying to get the autopilot on. Whatever. What is clear is that he did not realize that his turn was getting steeper and steeper. Tells me he wasn't looking at his attitude indicator. Many people pompously say, "Well **I** never would've even taken off that day!!" But those people don't understand the world we helicopter pilots live in. We routinely fly in a lot worse weather than our fixed-wing counterparts - legally! We often fly very low, and very slow. Sometimes we land in a parking lot or field when we have to. The ONE thing that may have saved Ara would have been slowing down. He kept bombing along at 120 knots or so, right up to the end. Maybe he was trying to make up for the time he lost while holding outside of Van Nuys. But apparently he neglected the helicopter pilot's mantra when the weather starts getting bad: Go down/slow down.

[@creolelady182]

Never fly into mountainous areas when there is bad weather

[@markcrist5388]

I’m afraid it was difficult for me to follow the flight path on the map since I’m just a 100 hour private pilot. It’s also a challenge for a fixed wing pilot like me to grasp that the low altitudes used are a normal thing in helicopters. I’m fortunate that my CFIs always pushed home my ability to make go/no go decisions and they never ever questioned my decisions.

[@willleaton2827]

It's weird watching this after having just flown into Camarillo Over flying Van Nuys yesterday

[@dougcooper4917]

Very Well Done, and Very Interesting Jason. When A Pilot Gets Disoriented, Why Don't They Hover or Circle For Awhile, Instead Of Continuing To Fly? Thank You.

[@marsgal42]

You're in the clouds so all you see is grey outside. You have to look at the instruments, you have to correctly interpret what the instruments are telling you, and you have to believe what the instruments are telling you. It's harder than it looks. Being so low doesn't give you much time to react.

[@dougcooper4917]

@@marsgal42 Thank you Laura.

[@schawnettarobinson8584]

Hindsight is 20/20.

[@Sharkx006]

I sometimes feel pressured to take more weight than I’m supposed to from family who I fly with all the time. It really annoys me because they know the limitations but keep pushing. So what I say to them is, we’ll I hope you got your Will sorted because if we take all of that we gonna die not sure about me I’m a good swimmer! Then they change their tune.

[@louieavalos5905]

Thanks you so very much for posting this video and why did they allow him to keep flying in these conditions when it was clear that not even the sheriff chopper was not allowed to fly in these conditions. I think rules should regulate, follow the rules or never fly again. That is what should come out of this.

[@cardinalRG]

Law enforcement does a different kind of flying than the accident flight, so the grounding of their aircraft isn't really relevant. And the pilot is solely responsible for the safe conduct of flight, and is the only one in a position to assess safe flying conditions. There is no "they" that was sufficiently informed nor even authorized to require that the flight to be discontinued. Controllers can only see so much on their screens, and they have many aircraft and areas to monitor anyway. This accident was 100% pilot error, and no one else could have been expected to prevent it.

[@lucky_one2]

Once a pilot makes the decision to "go" how do you derail that train? Or does it start with modeling and enforcing behaviors to avoid the "go" when there are unacceptable risks? I think of the bad decisions I have made or the "rewards" of a successful outcome (reinforcing bad behaviors) I chalk up to "experience". Should GA flights utilize a "release authorization"? A third party reviewer to check the pilot? Thoughts?

[@Murdock987]

I’ll break this down as best I can in a comment. Once you make the Go decision, it is hard to break that mindset mid-flight to turn back or divert. This can be seen in many accidents of a pilot hell bent on completing the flight or not recognizing better option than the destination because of the get-there-itis bias from when you launched. The best defense mechanism when you’re embarking on a flight with marginal weather is to launch with the mindset that you likely aren’t reaching your destination. Similar to flying an approach assuming a go-around so you try to break the bias of landing. Also risk assessment tools are good for this, helping identify threats to the flight that you maybe didn’t realize were looming. I’m not a fan of any third party weighing in on my flight for a host of reasons. But perhaps another pilot from where you’re departing to discuss the flight and provide angles of thought that you didn’t see. I do agree that a bad decision that turned out okay in the end is certainly filed away as experience. We just hope that pool of experience builds before the luck pool dries up. Good questions for discussion.

[@HoneyBee-zh9zw]

Well i think those last minutes were very crucial in where the dispatcher could have helped them, had he not been busy trying to help other airplanes find their way because when he got back to help them where he told them they were flying too low but by then they had already crashed. Why weren't there more dispatchers on radio to where the dispatcher wouldn't have to leave that one to help another, its really sad not to have had enough help, i blame the dispatcher for not staying with them , and when he was having communication with them, why hadn't he noticed then, that they were traveling to low????

[@cardinalRG]

I encourage you to research a little about air traffic control, and how it works, before criticizing controllers in this event. Among other things, you will learn that the controllers weren't responsible the way you assume they were, and the pilot alone is responsible for the safe conduct of flight. In this case the accident pilot was appropriately trained and rated for the conditions, and the accident aircraft was fully equipped for flight in even zero visibility. Most importantly, the accident was caused by the pilot succumbing to spatial disorientation, and no controller sitting in a building somewhere can possibly prevent that scenario, nor aid a pilot already disoriented.

[@lyingcat9022]

Single pilot helicopter in MVFR flying near steep terrain and IMC sounds like a horrible idea. He probably should have… well he probably shouldn’t have been flying VFR to begin with… but he should have at least been flying with the Autopilot engaged before he got anywhere near the soup. There’s a reason Autopilot and or 2 pilots is required for helicopter IFR. 2 hands are required to constantly adjust the flight controls for stable flight. And 2 eyeballs are required to be fixed on the instruments. That leaves 0 hands and 0 eye balls for Avionics, Nav, Radios or Autopilot.

[@SCOHEN250K]

I thought this video was going to make us aware of something we didn't already know.

[@TheRealCFF]

I suppose we can all play armchair quarterback here. Probably the best thing Zobaya could have done was just to land out at KVNY and just arrange ground transportation for the entourage there. The irony here, and unlike fixed wing aircraft, is that Zobaya is flying a helicopter, which you could easily land on the side of a road, in a field, or even a parking lot somewhere in the event of an emergency. The most bitter pill of all here, is that if Zabaya had deviated from any of the planned flight that day, he would have probably been hauled into the boss’ office and fired for it. No good deed goes unpunished I guess.

[@MrRawnerves]

I take been fired over dead any day.

[@angelodicks3917]

Speaking under my husband's profile & although none of us can truly know what was going on inside of the pilot's psyche as the host was stating, but when the crash initially happened & I heard the news ,It definitely came to mind when being a prominent person of wealth,power& status especially celebs it can be a gift / curse , because you can come across those who you've entrusted your life / lives due to their expertise in their profession assisting you & you can be one of the most humbled, but because of who you are unknowingly some can be intimidated going against their judgment to appease which can prove dire / fatal . I just commented on another site prime example one of my favorite singers Aaliyah who passed in a plane crash in 01 , reports said that an argument ensued with the pilot & her entourage over concerns the plane not being safe to fly being overweight , but eventually he gave in going against his professional judgment which ultimately costed all their lives SMH toxicology reports also showed he had traces of cocaine/ alcohol in his system but the point is some of these people will risk themselves & others over status smh

[@cardinalRG]

Or perhaps "...wealth, power and status..." had nothing at all to do with it.

[@airbnbphotography]

I am not a pilot yet, but this is one of the most advanced helicopters, it did not have any technical aids to warn them ? Also under this conditions how can you be able to fly VFR ?

[@cardinalRG]

The aircraft was properly equipped for IFR flight. The accident was due solely to pilot error, not to any equipment shortcoming. The pilot's decision to fly VFR in IMC was a judgment error on his part.

[@Jude-ns6os]

Complacency?

[@robertford7207]

He never should have left the ground till the fog burned off. Also,he should have turned around and went to the van nuys airport to land and get Kobe a limo for the rest of the trip.

[@markgriffith1432]

Great video, thanks Jason. Can anyone shed light into why the pilot didn't just file IFR from the beginning? My first thought was possible delays, but surely delays like VFR holding outside the Burbank Class C are fairly common.

[@TheRealCFF]

Island Expressway’s insurance policy would not allow their pilots to conduct part 135 operations under instrument flight rules. It would’ve been a easy decision for Zobaya to file IFR from KSNA to KCMA. Kobe would probably be alive today had that been an option.

[@gregsscubavids5128]

@@TheRealCFF I’m not IFR rated so this is a real question not a snarky comment: Even if he’d been IFR would that have done anything to prevent or recover from the spatial disorientation? It’s great having a controller watch out for you like ive experienced with VFR flight following, but is it enough to prevent loss of control?

[@TheRealCFF]

@@gregsscubavids5128 There’s a good chance it would’ve helped. Zobaya was IFR current at the time of the accident. Had he filed an IFR flight plan, he would’ve been operating at altitudes and on TEC routes that provide a great deal more terrain and obstacle clearance than scud running through a canyon just remain in visual conditions and getting trapped in the clouds. He would have had an ATC clearance and the airspace reserved for him along the route. He also would have been operating in the IFR mindset all the way back to KSNA and entering clouds or IMC would not have been a reason to alter course rapidly or some other cause of spatial disorientation. That’s not to say that its impossible to become spatially disoriented on an IFR flight, but it would reduce the probability. Remember VFR into IMC is one of the biggest killers of pilots, weather instrument rated or not. The Kobe Bryant crash is just another sad case of marginal weather, flight delays, and pressure to please a high profile client leading to “get-there-itis”. The hold over Griffith Park for 15 minutes while Burbank departure got out some IFR departures from KBUR and KVNY probably compounded this. The pilot thought he could get a clear shot through Calabases canyon, then ran into weather. Again the most tragic irony here is that Zobaya was at the controls of a helicopter, which he could’ve simply landed on the side of a road, in a parking lot, or even an empty field if the situation became really dire. Maybe also a case of smart people doing stupid things in aircraft and getting killed. That does happen.

[@gregsscubavids5128]

@@TheRealCFF Thank you. Great, detailed and helpful response to my question. If his company didn’t allow IFR from the get go, then he was doomed to disappoint a high profile client he’d served before multiple times or chance the marginal weather. VFR it seems. Cautionary tale for me with way few flying hours than he. My flight instructors have drilled me on response procedures for weather closing in on my VFR flights like it does pretty often during the summer afternoon shower builds in eastern NC. Gotta remember that as fight hours and confidence builds. Hate it that tragedy has to reinforce learned lessons.

[@frankienv3906]

......and again, like the JFK Jr incident with this Disorientation issue, Nobody looks at their Artificial Horizon and Altimeter any more...?

[@imaPangolin]

An instrument rating is like a 4 wheel drive vehicle. You can still get stuck and when you do you get stuck worse.

[@creolelady182]

Sam thing hpappen to the John Kennedy situation. An inexperience pilot had to get to his cousins wedding no matter what

[@randomschmo5778]

Non-pilot here….this spacial disorientation phenomenon seems so insidious that there needs to be a warning of some kind (audible & visual)? Not sure how engineers could approach the problem, but maybe some day…..

[@LeantoPeak]

In airliners, there is. In fact, more sophisticated, fly-by-wire airliners will not let the pilot exceed certain values of bank angle and pitch attitude, even if the pilots try to.

[@cardinalRG]

Random Schmo --You make a good point, but Keep in mind that if spatial disorientation is severe enough, it may be unrecoverable altogether. A pilot may completely lose the ability to assimilate external data, including instrument indications, audible system warnings, or even someone shouting in the pilot’s ear.

[@kurtreber9813]

But if we never challenge our personal minimums, where would we be? My takeaway was why did an instrument-rated pilot fly VFR and not IFR?

[@aero3085]

From what I understand, the operator did not permit IFR flight in their aircraft.

[@gregsscubavids5128]

@@aero3085 So was he trying to use VFR flight following as a sort of IFR-lite? Guess even that wouldn’t help if you’re spatially disoriented to that extreme though.

[@aero3085]

@@gregsscubavids5128 Flying in the LA basin is dangerous due to the heavy air traffic. So Cal approach wants to have commo with everyone. You're either IFR ( in the system) or not, there's no in between. It's illegal to be In a cloud if your not on an IFR flight plan. I think he was looking out trying to follow the interstate and inadvertently went into IMC at which time he become spatially disoriented. I've flown this same route and encountered the same conditions ahead. I saw it coming and simply did an about face and returned back to SNA. The FAA considers ADM super serious.

[@crazyralph6386]

It’s insane how that pilot wasn’t IFR rated, while flying a perfectly good IFR ship like the S-76? Had he been, it would’ve been a complete non issue by simply engaging the auto pilot and climb straight a level, and then make your radio calls. What you don’t do, is initiate 180 turns in a valley with the hilltops completely obscured, while cooking at 130kts???

[@cardinalRG]

The accident pilot was instrument rated.

[@JB_Hobbies]

Could it have been a medical emergency? Seems weird that a pilot like that with a heads up about the weather would not be prepared to handle occasional unpredictable instrument conditions in their vfr flight.

[@LeantoPeak]

From what I understood in another video, the pilot was not IFR current.

[@rong4248]

Every crash has one thing in common...A takeoff or departure. Think twice your life depends on it.

[@HotHatchSi]

Why not just file an ifr flight plan?

[@TheKevintegra19]

In this case the helicopter was not certified for IFR flight even though it was IFR equipped (FAA paperwork), which is the basis for the lawsuit against the charter company. The pilot was IFR certified, but going IFR would have been a violation of FAA regulations.

[@richziesmer3426]

NTBS, does NOT REQUIRE That you even have any type of license, look into it.

[@briancaldwell6799]

a helicopter to a girls ball game. no.