Nearly a month following the tragic helicopter crash that took the lives of Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna Bryant, and seven others, we have new details about the pilot of the aircraft, Ara Zobayan.
The Los Angeles Times is reporting Zobayan had been disciplined by the FAA over a weather-related flight violation back in 2015.
Zobayan was flying northbound in an AS350 helicopter near LAX in May 2015 when he contacted a tower in order to gain clearance to fly through. He was informed that the airfield was reporting less than three miles of visibility in the area. The report went on to detail that Zobayan then requested to fly through with special VFR (visual flight rules), a request that was later denied. He then reportedly continued northbound through the airspace without approval, a violation of FAA rules.
Zobayan was faulted for a lack of preparation in not knowing the weather at LAX ahead of time and planning for “proper coordination.” He took responsibility for the incident and underwent counseling from the FAA.
“Had Mr. Zobayan properly planned and reviewed current weather at LAX, he would have been able to anticipate the required action to transit … resulting in proper coordination.”
“There are no indications that this is a repeated incident and there are no signs that this incident is a trend with Mr. Zobayan or any other [Island Express Helicopter] personnel,” the investigator wrote.
Federal authorities are still investigating the crash on January 26th in which Zoboyan’s helicopter crashed into the hillside of Calabasas, killing all nine people on board.
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Bryant, his daughter Gianna and the rest of the victims will be honored at a memorial service Monday at Staples Center in Los Angeles.
