The charter company whose helicopter crashed and killed Kobe Bryant was not certified to fly in conditions that require pilots to only use cockpit instruments. Under a SVFR clearance, pilots are allowed to fly in weather conditions worse than those allowed for visual flight rules (VFR). 'There is only one way you can be in the clouds, on an IFR (instrument flight rules) flight plan or by accident,' Deetz said. It comes as the manufacturer of the helicopter, Sikorsky, was urging customers to install a critical warning system that was missing from Bryant's chopper. 'Another warning system screaming at you isn't going to help,' Brian Alexander, a helicopter pilot and aviation lawyer, said.

Source: Daily Mail January 31, 2020 08:46 UTC