Aircraft accident investigations often take years as the players sift through the physical evidence, voice and radar recordings and interview witnesses trying to piece together the cause. The ongoing investigation into last January’s crash of the helicopter (N72EX) carrying basketball legend Kobe Bryant, his daughter and seven others, took an interesting twist last week after Island Express Helicopters, the charter company operating the big Sikorsky, individually sued two SoCal Tracon air traffic controllers for wrongful death.
Bryant’s Helicopter Operator Sues FAA Air Traffic Controllers
Key Takeaways:
- Island Express Helicopters, the charter company, has sued two SoCal Tracon air traffic controllers, alleging their negligence directly caused the helicopter crash that killed Kobe Bryant and eight others.
- The lawsuit claims Controller A improperly denied flight following services, failed to adequately terminate radar services, and neglected to brief his replacement, causing the pilot to falsely assume he was still being monitored.
- It further alleges Controller B's subsequent errors, including delayed responses and a critical "ident" instruction during the flight's final moments, compounded the pilot's stress and may have induced spatial disorientation, leading to the fatal maneuver.
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