The pilot’s decision to continue a flight into instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) was the probable cause of the Jan. 26, 2020, crash of a Sikorsky S-76B that killed the pilot and his eight passengers, including basketball star Kobe Bryant, the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said Tuesday.
The helicopter, operated by Island Express Helicopters, had been en route from John Wayne-Orange County Airport in Santa Ana, California, U.S., to Camarillo Airport, about 80 nm (148 km) northwest. The helicopter was destroyed in the crash near Calabasas, about halfway to the destination.
The NTSB said that continuing the flight into IMC while operating under visual flight rules “resulted in the pilot’s spatial disorientation and loss of control” and led to the subsequent crash.
The pilot had told air traffic control (ATC) about two minutes before the crash that the helicopter was about 450 ft above ground level (AGL) and he was beginning a clim…
