National Transportation Safety Board

About a year after the helicopter crash that killed, among others, Kobe Bryant, the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has announced that the pilot made a crucial mistake before the crash.

It said the pilot lost his bearings in the clouds of the hilly area near Los Angeles on Jan. 26, 2020. He was prohibited by law from continuing the visual flight into the clouds, but he did so anyway, the NTBS chairman said.

Shortly before the crash, he said, the pilot told air traffic controllers he was climbing with his helicopter and had almost broken through the clouds. In fact, however, the Sikorsky S-76B skidded and sank, he said.

Technical problems with the helicopter had previously been ruled out.