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NTSB releases final report into helicopter crash that killed Kobe Bryant

Kobe Bryant
Posted at 2:33 PM, Feb 25, 2021
and last updated 2021-03-01 12:00:55-05

The NTSB has released its final report into the helicopter crash that killed Kobe Bryant, his daughter, and seven others.

On Feb. 9, the NTSB said the accident's cause was due to the pilot's poor decisions.

Officials said the pilot made a critical error by flying through thick clouds that ended up disorienting him, which resulted in the plane crashing into terrain in Calabasas, California.

On Thursday, the NTSB said they had offered two new safety recommendations to the Federal Aviation Administration and Island Express because of the crash investigation.

Island Express is the company that owned the helicopter Bryant was riding in when he died.

The NTSB recommends using appropriate stimulation devices during initial and recurrent pilot training for operating helicopters for the FAA.

They also recommend they convene a multidisciplinary panel made up of aircraft performance, human factors, and aircraft operations specialists to evaluate spatial disorientation simulation technologies.

The NTSB said they would help determine which applications are most effective for training pilots to recognize the onset of spatial disorientation.

For Island Express, the NTSB recommends participating in the FAA's Safety Management System Voluntary Program and installing flight data recording devices.