Kobe Bryant, RIP (Breaking)

May 6, 2004
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Ugghhh. Was clickin around Twitter, incidentally happened upon crash footage and didn’t stop it before I realized, that’s definitely not the way you want to go.

wish I didn’t see it, no way I’ll ever get on a helicopter unnecessarily again
 

TheFrontRunner

Hall of Famer
Jun 4, 2019
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Ugghhh. Was clickin around Twitter, incidentally happened upon crash footage and didn’t stop it before I realized, that’s definitely not the way you want to go.

wish I didn’t see it, no way I’ll ever get on a helicopter unnecessarily again

I know one video going around has already been said to not be the Kobe crash. The color wasn't even the same as his helicopter
 

Crushgroove

Heisman
Oct 11, 2014
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gotcha . . . had someone explain to me a "safety system" on their new Dodge Ram the other day. Automatically throws the transmission back into park if a door is "ajar". I asked what if you need to back up to connect a trailer or something, drive with door open? He said it will let you do that. But that he left it in drive (on a muddy slope), got out to open a gate, got back in and it wouldn't move. Couldn't figure out what happened. Dealership explained it. Just seemed like a bunch of scenarios could occur, for how that "safety system" could cause some unwanted problems, including creating unsafe conditions.
Exactly. The safety systems alone account for a lot of it, but I'm curious to know the ins and outs of the capabilities of those existing systems. These cars possess the elec and mech ability to start/stop themselves, brake themselves, lock themselves and even change gears using AI and algorithms. Bypassing those safety gates and triggers to cause mechanical actuation can't be that difficult, if they aren't already inherent in the system.
 

krazykats

Heisman
Nov 6, 2006
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Is it confirmed he was the pilot?

I know they seem to be waiting to release the rest of the names to be able to reach out to the families.

the sheriff mentioned it was a shame the Bryant’s had to find out from TMZ, and I’d agree.

still surreal
 
Jan 28, 2007
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Autorotation - Landing a Helicopter without Engine Power



I've almost always felt safer riding rotary wing rather than fixed.


Austin, I know this is your personal opinion, and that you post intelligently like 99.9% of the time, but are you outta your gd mind? In no statistical measure are helicopters safer than fixed wing planes.
 
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AustinTXCat

Hall of Famer
Jan 7, 2003
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Austin, I know this is your personal opinion, and that you post intelligently like 99.9% of the time, but are you outta your gd mind? In no statistical measure are helicopters safer than fixed wing planes.
Oh, I know. You are absolutely correct. Statistically, I believe fixed-wing is indeed much safer. Fixed wing also includes smoother performance with less noise and lesser chance for incidents (i.e. hit by rotor blades, prop blast debris).

I've always felt safer flying rotary for some crazy reason.
 
May 31, 2018
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I keep seeing tweets about how the world is a better place because of Kobe. Did I miss where he did something for humanity besides play basketball? I mean that doesn't make the world a better place. And this isn't because I am not a fan. He was a great basketball player but that doesn't translate to changing the world for the better. In fact what he did outside of sports that you read isn't necessarily good stuff. I just don't get it. As far as the situation goes I feel bad for all the family members left behind to deal with these tragic losses.
 
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Chazattack

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Sep 29, 2018
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Is it confirmed he was the pilot?

Edit: CBS LA is reporting the pilot was Ara Zobayan.

The nine were:

Kobe
Gigi
John Altobelli (father)
Keri Altobelli (mother)
Alyssa Altobelli (child)
Christina Mauser (coach)
Sarah Chester (mother)
Payton Chester (child)
Ara Zobayan (pilot)
 
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May 31, 2018
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Someone told me this morning that they heard a news report that said they shouldn't have even been in the air due to heavy fog. I am not sure if the accident was related to that though.
 

Chazattack

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Sep 29, 2018
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Someone told me this morning that they heard a news report that said they shouldn't have even been in the air due to heavy fog. I am not sure if the accident was related to that though.

From TMZ:



4:30 PM PT -- L.A. weather was extremely foggy Sunday morning, and law enforcement sources tell us even LAPD air support was grounded because of it. Flight tracker data shows Kobe's chopper appeared to first encounter weather issues as it was above the L.A. Zoo. It circled that area at least 6 times at a very low altitude -- around 875 feet -- perhaps waiting for the fog to clear.



FLIGHT TOWER AUDIO
We know the pilot contacted the control tower at Burbank Airport around 9:30 AM PT, and the tower was aware the pilot had been circling for about 15 minutes. The pilot eventually headed north along the 118 freeway before turning to the west, and started following above the 101 freeway around Woodland Hills, CA.

At around 9:40 AM they encounter more weather -- as in seriously heavy fog -- and the chopper turned south. This was critical, because they turned toward a mountainous area. The pilot suddenly and rapidly climbed from about 1200 feet up to 2000 feet.

However, moments later -- around 9:45 AM -- they flew into a mountain at 1700 feet. Flight tracker data shows they were flying at about 161 knots.
 

Catfan in Tn.

Heisman
Mar 10, 2005
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Kobe wasn’t piloting the aircraft. I am guessing that the individual talking to air traffic control is the pilot. The individual talking to atc is not Kobe.
 
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Chazattack

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Sep 29, 2018
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Is that a normal speed for a helicopter flying around Los Angeles?

185 mph in a helicopter, I wouldn’t think so.

The pilot probably realized they were in trouble and tried to correct his elevation quickly, but it was too late to clear the mountain. Awful!
 

dgtatu01

All-Conference
Sep 21, 2005
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Kobe decided to save money by getting his pilot’s license. JFK Jr was also the pilot of the plane in which he died.
No one retired needs a helicopter. They have all kinds of time on their hands. Also when a helicopter becomes something you are trying to "save money on" you should just get rid of it.
 

TheFrontRunner

Hall of Famer
Jun 4, 2019
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-Mav-

Heisman
Jun 19, 2017
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No one retired needs a helicopter. They have all kinds of time on their hands. Also when a helicopter becomes something you are trying to "save money on" you should just get rid of it.
No one "needs" anything, whether they're retired or working. Bryant made a choice to use a helicopter for transportation because he wanted to...and an accident happened. Your same "argument" could be used for any mode of transportation.
 
May 31, 2018
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Tell me about it. I bought a cheap horse one time and it turns out it was a wild mustang that was a rescue. Never could break that thing to ride. It was like being a rodeo star every time you tried to get on his back.

No one "needs" anything, whether they're retired or working. Bryant made a choice to use a helicopter for transportation because he wanted to...and an accident happened. Your same "argument" could be used for any mode of transportation.
 

IdaCat

Heisman
May 8, 2004
68,842
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So can anyone take off and fly a helicopter over a large city in severe weather without some sort of approval? Seems extremely dangerous if so. It's not only the guy on the bird with the bad judgement at risk, but the city population.
 

Chazattack

All-Conference
Sep 29, 2018
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No one retired needs a helicopter. They have all kinds of time on their hands. Also when a helicopter becomes something you are trying to "save money on" you should just get rid of it.

Apparently, he would fly to save time getting to games and getting around LA instead of getting stiff as a passenger in a car.

Saving money is great as long as you are not cutting corners and sacrificing too much quality, which does not appear the case in this situation. If you can fix your own car, then why hire a mechanic?

He invested in his own ability to fly, which likely saved him a lot of money (to an average person) over his playing career and gave him a leisure activity that he enjoyed. Nobody needs stuff, but if you can responsibly afford it and it has enough value to you, then why not?

Regardless, he wasn’t flying and it is coming out that this wasn’t his personally-owned helicopter.
 
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AustinTXCat

Hall of Famer
Jan 7, 2003
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Austin, I know this is your personal opinion, and that you post intelligently like 99.9% of the time, but are you outta your gd mind? In no statistical measure are helicopters safer than fixed wing planes.
Interesting.....

...Between 1990 and 2019, there were 5,098 accidents or serious incidents involving helicopters in the United States. Of these, 907 (or 17.8%) involved fatalities. In the last decade, more than 380 people have died in helicopter accidents.

Meanwhile, there were over 47,000 accidents or serious incidents involving airplanes in the U.S. airspace over that same time period, of which more than 8,800 involved fatalities.


You’re far more likely to die in a car accident than a helicopter crash. In 2017 alone, over 37,000 people died in highway accidents in the U.S., and since you’re more likely to travel by car than helicopter, your odds of dying in an automobile are higher.


Over the past few decades, the number of accidents involving helicopters has fallen. 2019 saw the second lowest number of helicopter accidents over the past 30 years with just 125 incidents. Comparatively, back in 1990 there were 228 helicopter accidents in the U.S
....

Helicopter crashes like the one that claimed Kobe Bryant are becoming less common — but that could change.
 
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Jan 28, 2007
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Interesting.....

...Between 1990 and 2019, there were 5,098 accidents or serious incidents involving helicopters in the United States. Of these, 907 (or 17.8%) involved fatalities. In the last decade, more than 380 people have died in helicopter accidents.

Meanwhile, there were over 47,000 accidents or serious incidents involving airplanes in the U.S. airspace over that same time period, of which more than 8,800 involved fatalities.


You’re far more likely to die in a car accident than a helicopter crash. In 2017 alone, over 37,000 people died in highway accidents in the U.S., and since you’re more likely to travel by car than helicopter, your odds of dying in an automobile are higher.


Over the past few decades, the number of accidents involving helicopters has fallen. 2019 saw the second lowest number of helicopter accidents over the past 30 years with just 125 incidents. Comparatively, back in 1990 there were 228 helicopter accidents in the U.S
....

Helicopter crashes like the one that claimed Kobe Bryant are becoming less common — but that could change.

The fatal accident rate for helicopters is 0.82 per 100,000 hours
Interesting.....

...Between 1990 and 2019, there were 5,098 accidents or serious incidents involving helicopters in the United States. Of these, 907 (or 17.8%) involved fatalities. In the last decade, more than 380 people have died in helicopter accidents.

Meanwhile, there were over 47,000 accidents or serious incidents involving airplanes in the U.S. airspace over that same time period, of which more than 8,800 involved fatalities.


You’re far more likely to die in a car accident than a helicopter crash. In 2017 alone, over 37,000 people died in highway accidents in the U.S., and since you’re more likely to travel by car than helicopter, your odds of dying in an automobile are higher.


Over the past few decades, the number of accidents involving helicopters has fallen. 2019 saw the second lowest number of helicopter accidents over the past 30 years with just 125 incidents. Comparatively, back in 1990 there were 228 helicopter accidents in the U.S
....

Helicopter crashes like the one that claimed Kobe Bryant are becoming less common — but that could change.

Taken from a Slate Article:
According to the National Transportation Safety Board. General aircraft—airplanes, helicopters, balloons, blimps, and everything else—average 7.28 crashes for every 100,000 hours of flight time. The crash rate for helicopters alone is 9.84 per 100,000 hours. That means helicopters crash about 35 percent more often per hour in the air than your average aircraft. (Of course, not all planes are created equal: Single-engine piston planes are 10 times more likely to crash than jets.) Helicopter crashes, however, are less likely to kill you: The fatality rate in helicopter crashes is 1.3 deaths per 100,000 flight hours versus 1.4 deaths for aircraft in general.
 

AustinTXCat

Hall of Famer
Jan 7, 2003
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The fatal accident rate for helicopters is 0.82 per 100,000 hours


Taken from a Slate Article:
According to the National Transportation Safety Board. General aircraft—airplanes, helicopters, balloons, blimps, and everything else—average 7.28 crashes for every 100,000 hours of flight time. The crash rate for helicopters alone is 9.84 per 100,000 hours. That means helicopters crash about 35 percent more often per hour in the air than your average aircraft. (Of course, not all planes are created equal: Single-engine piston planes are 10 times more likely to crash than jets.) Helicopter crashes, however, are less likely to kill you: The fatality rate in helicopter crashes is 1.3 deaths per 100,000 flight hours versus 1.4 deaths for aircraft in general.
Thanks for researching and posting. Very interesting.

I guess my reasons for experiencing these "better vibes" when flying rotary over fixed boils down to speed and altitude. I've only flown a couple times at altitudes greater than 3,000 ft in a chopper. Most of my flights in Iraq and other *.mil - related adventures were Nap of The Earth (NOE) or slightly higher. To me, the ground always exists in a more realistic proximity from the aircraft at such altitudes rather than at +35K feet in a pressurized cabin traveling 500 knots.
 

-BBH-

All-American
Mar 13, 2004
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If you read some of the details that are coming out about the flight, it's becoming more and more clear this was directly related to the weather. The pilot had an opportunity to abort the flight and land in Burbank where he had been in a holding pattern for 12 minutes. Instead, he chose to enter the mountainous area where the crash occurred. Kobe was probably only flying that day based upon the pilot's confidence he could fly in such conditions even though most other helicopter traffic had been cancelled that morning.