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, sued two SoCal Tracon air traffic controllers for wrongful death in the Kobe Bryant helicopter crash, alleging their negligence was directly responsible.
- The lawsuit claims Controller A improperly denied radar services based on a future possibility, failed to properly terminate services (leading the pilot to assume continued monitoring), and did not brief his replacement about the helicopter.
- It further alleges Controller B, unaware of the helicopter due to the poor briefing, struggled to identify it and made delayed or stress-inducing communications during a critical phase of flight, potentially causing pilot disorientation.
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