Photo: Instagram / Vanessa Bryant
On January 26, a private helicopter carrying NBA legend Kobe Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, and seven other people crashed in the hills outside Los Angeles, California, killing all those on board.
The helicopter, a Sikorsky S-76 rented out by operator Island Express, was flying very low in bad weather conditions – thick fog. It was not certified for or able to comply with instrument flight rules (IFR) that the weather required, which means the pilot was flying blind, on visual reference only.
Congressman Brad Sherman (D-Sherman Oaks) has introduced the so-called “Kobe Bryant and Gianna Bryant Helicopter Safety Act” (KGBHSA), which will make it mandatory for all private helicopters flying six or more passengers to be fitted with equipment that allows them to follow IFR. This includes a Terrain Awareness and Warning System, a flight data recorder and a cockpit voice recorder. All these would have prevented the pilot on Kobe’s helicopter from flying into a hill because of the fog.
In a statement published on the Congressman’s website, Vanessa Bryant, Kobe’s widow and Gianna’s mother, expresses her support for the bill, saying it has the potential to save lives. The industry needs to be regulated to ensure the safety of the passengers, and this is a good way to start.
“I strongly urge that the United States Congress pass a federal law that would improve the safety of helicopters operating in this country,” Vanessa says. “As passengers traveling on aircrafts we assume that proper safety measures are in order to prevent accidents from happening before we fly. It's unfortunate that this is not the case and aircraft companies must do their part to protect lives.”
She believes having the bill named after Kobe and Gianna will help bring more awareness to the issue, while serving as a tribute to their memory. Vanessa also asks that the name of the black box be Mamba 8 Box “in honor of the 3 young Mamba team players, the 2 Mamba coaches and the 3 Mamba parents onboard, equaling 8.”
Vanessa Bryant and the other victims’ families have sued operator Island Express and the estate of the late pilot Ara Zobayan for the tragedy, claiming their gross negligence caused it. In other words, the pilot should have known better than to take off in those weather conditions and, even if he wanted to, Island Express should have prevented him. In a joint response, both defendants said the fault was on the passengers for getting on the bird because “flying is inherently dangerous.”
Congressman Brad Sherman (D-Sherman Oaks) has introduced the so-called “Kobe Bryant and Gianna Bryant Helicopter Safety Act” (KGBHSA), which will make it mandatory for all private helicopters flying six or more passengers to be fitted with equipment that allows them to follow IFR. This includes a Terrain Awareness and Warning System, a flight data recorder and a cockpit voice recorder. All these would have prevented the pilot on Kobe’s helicopter from flying into a hill because of the fog.
In a statement published on the Congressman’s website, Vanessa Bryant, Kobe’s widow and Gianna’s mother, expresses her support for the bill, saying it has the potential to save lives. The industry needs to be regulated to ensure the safety of the passengers, and this is a good way to start.
“I strongly urge that the United States Congress pass a federal law that would improve the safety of helicopters operating in this country,” Vanessa says. “As passengers traveling on aircrafts we assume that proper safety measures are in order to prevent accidents from happening before we fly. It's unfortunate that this is not the case and aircraft companies must do their part to protect lives.”
She believes having the bill named after Kobe and Gianna will help bring more awareness to the issue, while serving as a tribute to their memory. Vanessa also asks that the name of the black box be Mamba 8 Box “in honor of the 3 young Mamba team players, the 2 Mamba coaches and the 3 Mamba parents onboard, equaling 8.”
Vanessa Bryant and the other victims’ families have sued operator Island Express and the estate of the late pilot Ara Zobayan for the tragedy, claiming their gross negligence caused it. In other words, the pilot should have known better than to take off in those weather conditions and, even if he wanted to, Island Express should have prevented him. In a joint response, both defendants said the fault was on the passengers for getting on the bird because “flying is inherently dangerous.”
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