The Island Express Helicopters, the charter company whose helicopter crashed and killed basketball star Kobe Bryant, his daughter and seven others on Sunday was not certified to fly in conditions requiring pilots to fly using only cockpit instruments, media reports said. flight plan or by accident,” Deetz told the newspaper, referring to instrument flight rules. The helicopter’s pilot, Ara Zobayan, was licensed for instrument flying, most likely had little experience in doing so given the company’s operating limitations, Deetz told Forbes separately. Air traffic controllers had given Zobayan “special visual flight rules,” or clearance to fly in the less-than-optimal weather around the Burbank airport. The pilot had reported that visibility was sufficient for visual flight, the Times said, adding that the weather appeared to have worsened as the flight continued.

Source: Nigerian Tribune January 31, 2020 08:26 UTC