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, operator of the helicopter in the Kobe Bryant crash, sued two air traffic controllers for wrongful death, alleging negligence was responsible for the accident.
- The lawsuit claims Controller A improperly denied flight following, failed to officially terminate radar services (leading the pilot to believe he was still monitored), and neglected to brief his replacement about the helicopter.
- It further alleges Controller B struggled to identify the aircraft due to the poor handover, and that the combined controller errors unnecessarily increased the pilot's workload and stress, potentially leading to disorientation and the crash.
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