Kobe’s Helicopter Lacked Recommended Terrain Warning System!

[Shaqdaddy11]

Its not about blame, its about learning what happened and why so that we can prevent this from happening again down the road. No one should have to suffer this kind of a loss ever

Ok, and where do we go from there?

This kind of action only leads to pointing the finger at someone to blame them. Before you know it somebody is suing the family of the pilot.

 

[True Lakers Fan]

Ok, and where do we go from there?

This kind of action only leads to pointing the finger at someone to blame them. Before you know it somebody is suing the family of the pilot.

If There are errors in how the system is regulated -We fix them and it certainly looks like this could have been prevented had the copter had the All Terrain awareness Warning System on it - That should be corrected

If certain people in this process are at fault - I do think they should be held accountable - At this point - It doesn't look like there was any gross negligence on anyone's part though

The rest of us has to move forward and let them do their job though - You're right - inasmuch that there is nothing more we can do

 

[Pattersonca65]

The guy got completely disoriented by the fog. He was about to crash into the mountain so, he made a weird but understandable move. He dove hard left so he would hopefully see the ground finally but he still clipped the crest by 30 yards. He didn’t know where he was. He was lost. If he had a warning system he would have known. It’s not complicated. It’s being cheap and not buying necessary safety equipment. Because you ASSume you will on.y fly in clear weather.

It is like the Kennedy plane crash because the pilot ends up lost in fog with no idea where he is and after a panic finally dives to see land at least. Only to come out of the fog at last moment and see they were completely wrong about where they thought they were as they crash.

That is one of the theories I've read from an expert. He might have gotten disoriented in the fog. We sometimes get zero visibility tule fog in the valley. There were a couple of times driving at night where I felt like I was climbing when the road was actually level. The difference between this event and Kennedy's was this was an experienced pilot where I believe Kennedy was not. I believe Kennedy was not instrument ready. I think an experienced pilot in Kennedy's case would have relied on his/her instruments and would not have crashed.

 

[shopson67]

So, by the reasoning in this thread, any accident in a classic car (no ABS, possibly no power steering or brakes, certainly no auto-braking or lane sensing system) is driver-liable? Sometimes accidents are just accidents. Surely Kobe isn't pinching pennies on his helicopter. How common is this feature on civilian-owned helicopters?

 

[redseat]

The NTSB recommended these upgrades, but the FAA, the official government organization that could make this an airworthiness directive, failed to make the requirements.

Likewise, this helicopter did not have black boxes. Later versions of the same helicopter have them, but this particular one would have had to be retrofitted.

This tragedy certainly had better change this and make helicopters have these

 

[Pattersonca65]

So, by the reasoning in this thread, any accident in a classic car (no ABS, possibly no power steering or brakes, certainly no auto-braking or lane sensing system) is driver-liable? Sometimes accidents are just accidents. Surely Kobe isn't pinching pennies on his helicopter. How common is this feature on civilian-owned helicopters?

Regulations should probably be changed to require those items but if they were not required can't fault the pilot for that. I wonder what weather information the pilot had that morning before he flew and if he took an unreasonable risk

 

[trojanfan12]

So, by the reasoning in this thread, any accident in a classic car (no ABS, possibly no power steering or brakes, certainly no auto-braking or lane sensing system) is driver-liable? Sometimes accidents are just accidents. Surely Kobe isn't pinching pennies on his helicopter. How common is this feature on civilian-owned helicopters?

Since they aren't mandatory, my guess would be very few.

 

[DorianRo]

It all could have been avoided or at least chances dramatically dropping from happening.... Like I don't know... Taking a car? At least there is some protection If something goes wrong.

 

[DorianRo]

Its not about blame, its about learning what happened and why so that we can prevent this from happening again down the road. No one should have to suffer this kind of a loss ever

Heres one.. How about NOT getting in a helicopter just to go a few miles??

 

[thunderc]

This helicopter was fully rated and capable of flying with instruments so that is what confuses me, it sounds like he was not using them.

 

[True Lakers Fan]

Heres one.. How about NOT getting in a helicopter just to go a few miles??

You won't see me doing it. Dont blame me for the decision

 

[True Lakers Fan]

Heres one.. How about NOT getting in a helicopter just to go a few miles??

From what I have heard, the radar is not reliable in fog, so he decided that it was safer to rely on the special visual rule which the FAA said happens all of the time

 

[shopson67]

Heres one.. How about NOT getting in a helicopter just to go a few miles??

If you had a reliable way (until this one freak occurrence) to avoid spending soul-crushing time in LA traffic, would you do so? Kobe took his helicopter to practice and games to avoid traffic. With his mounting injuries late in his career, he simply couldn't sit in a car for 2 hours and has been using a helicopter for at least a decade. The problem isn't the helicopter, it's the decision made to use it in difficult visibility conditions.

 

[lebron23james]

The pilot should have just hovered in the air until the clouds cleared...Rookie mistake

 

[trojanfan12]

If you had a reliable way (until this one freak occurrence) to avoid spending soul-crushing time in LA traffic, would you do so? Kobe took his helicopter to practice and games to avoid traffic. With his mounting injuries late in his career, he simply couldn't sit in a car for 2 hours and has been using a helicopter for at least a decade. The problem isn't the helicopter, it's the decision made to use it in difficult visibility conditions.

From what I heard, he got the helicopter so that he could spend more time with his family.

With no traffic, it's about 3 hours round trip from Newport Beach to Staples. During rush hour, you can double that.

The helicopter cut it down to about 30-45 minutes round trip.

Yeah, I'd take the helicopter too.

 

[thunderc]

Read where that helicopter cost $5k an hour with a 2 hour minimum.

 

[trojanfan12]

Read where that helicopter cost $5k an hour with a 2 hour minimum.

Seems accurate. Pretty sure that's what @lebron23james pays for his.

 

[DJ Fieri]

From what I heard, he got the helicopter so that he could spend more time with his family.

With no traffic, it's about 3 hours round trip from Newport Beach to Staples. During rush hour, you can double that.

The helicopter cut it down to about 30-45 minutes round trip.

Yeah, I'd take the helicopter too.

Yep.