The recent, tragic news of the death of NBA legend Kobe Bryant, his daughter, and seven others in a helicopter crash shocked the nation. Kobe, along with his daughter and seven others, died when the helicopter they were riding in crashed during heavy fog conditions. They were apparently on their way to a basketball tournament, north of Los Angeles.
In any catastrophic crash situation, there is a time for mourning and then a time for evaluating, and the Leader Law Firm appreciates that this may still be the time for grieving.
But there are very troubling aspects of this tragedy. The helicopter was not equipped with a terrain avoidance warning system – which would have told the pilot he was too close to the ground and presumably given him a chance to avoid this. The NTSB has long urged federal aviation authorities to require black boxes on helicopters.
The Los Angeles area is known to have fog and low cloud ceilings, as well as mountainous terrain. Does it certainly seem that the company that owned this helicopter should have invested in the terrain warning system? Especially in Los Angeles, a city known for heavy air traffic and mountainous terrain. Such technology is available for this type of aircraft.
What’s more, the pilot, a competent and experienced aviator, knew of the overcast conditions and knew his aircraft was not equipped with a terrain avoidance warning system.
Based on what is currently known, it certainly appears he should’ve known better and was doing something hazardous, which ended in tragedy.
There will almost surely be multiple legal claims related to the helicopter crash, as there should be.
In situations like this, lawyers like John Leader perform an invaluable service, holding those accountable for poor decisions that end in tragedy.
We wish to extend our condolences to all the victims of this tragedy.
