Kobe Bryant jet may have lacked approval to enter clouds

Bloomberg

The helicopter carrying retired basketball star Kobe Bryant and eight others had been cleared to operate in deteriorating weather but not the dense clouds into which it apparently flew shortly before crashing, according to investigators and flight data.
The Sikorsky S-76B was flying under air-traffic rules mandating that the pilot maintain visibility with surroundings, but in the final minute before the crash it almost certainly climbed into the fog layer above, the helicopter’s flight track and local weather reports show.
There’s no indication that the pilot sought approval from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) controller, according to a recording of radio calls posted on the LiveATC.net website. While the pilot was rated to fly on instruments in the clouds, he was supposed to have obtained permission under US rules.
The pilot radioed a request to climb to “avoid a cloud layer,” Jennifer Homendy, a member of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), said. The controller asked the pilot what he wanted to do and there was no reply, Homendy said.
The helicopter wasn’t equipped with crash-proof recorders and there was no requirement for them, she said. Investigators are attempting to gain access to a tablet computer and other electronics for clues.
The NTSB is asking people who were near the crash to provide any photos they may have taken showing weather at the time, Homendy added.
It’s still unclear what caused the crash in the hills of Calabasas, California, near Los Angeles that killed everyone aboard, but preliminary reports indicate the pilot was confused or was reacting to some unusual condition as the aircraft climbed and turned away from its route, according to aviation safety experts.
“It would suggest either intentionally not complying with the FAA rules regarding visual flight or inadvertent entry into these hazardous conditions,” said Jeffrey Guzzetti, former chief of accident investigations at the FAA.
The pilot, identified as Ara Zobayan, had been flying under what are known as “special” visual rules, which allow for flying in deteriorating weather but that still required him to stay clear of clouds and low visibility.
Normally, helicopters flying in visual conditions must be able to see for three miles and clouds can’t be less than 1,000 feet from the ground.
If pilots flying under visual rules choose to fly into clouds, FAA rules require that they radio a controller for permission. The pilot’s notification that he was climbing wasn’t the same as receiving permission to fly in the clouds.
The helicopter’s sharp turn and sudden descent in the final seconds are consistent with other crashes in which pilots became disoriented in clouds, Guzzetti said.