All language subtitles for Air Disasters S17E10 Kobe Bryant 1080p PMTP WEB-DL AAC2 0 H 264_track3_[eng]

Breaking news, five-time
NBA champion Kobe Bryant

died in a helicopter Crash.

NARRATOR: A high-profile
aviation accident

devastates Los Angeles.

I'm just at a loss
for words right now.

NARRATOR: NTSB investigators
quickly inspect the wreckage.

All the mechanical systems
and electronic systems

appeared to be working fine.

NARRATOR: The data
provides a detailed picture

of the entire flight.

So they get airborne
just after 9:00.

And then, they get
held up for 12 minutes.

MAN (RADIO):
Echo X-ray,

hold outside Burbank airspace.

OK.

We'll hold outside Burbank.

Certainly, this added
to the time of the flight.

He's bombing along
here at about 140 knots.

NARRATOR: Investigators must
consider the unthinkable.

Was he trying to make
up for the lost time?

A lot of people wondered
if Kobe being Kobe

might've put pressure
on this pilot.

NARRATOR: But
there's no evidence

to support that suspicion.

So what happened to this guy?

Mayday.

Mayday.

Hey, Rick.

So I'm gonna go straight
north to Dodger Stadium,

around Burbank, and follow
the 118 to get up and around

the weather down here.

What's the
visibility of Burbank?

Broken clouds with
five-mile visibility.

We're good to go.

NARRATOR: Ara Zobayan is a
helicopter pilot with more

than 8,000 flying hours.

They'll be here
in about 15 minutes.

I'll meet them here and
help get them loaded.

Roger that.

NARRATOR: He's the chief
pilot for Island Express,

a helicopter charter company
based in California's Los

Angeles County.

BRENT SCHROTENBOER:
Island Express

is a family-owned company that's
been in Southern California

for a number of decades.

And they're known as
a company that can

provide VIP helicopter service.

NARRATOR: Among their
high-profile regular customers,

media star Kylie Jenner,
LA Clippers superstar

Kawhi Leonard,
and today's client

LA Lakers great Kobe Bryant.

BRENT SCHROTENBOER: Kobe
Bryant was one of the best

basketball players of all time.

He is an iconic
Los Angeles Laker.

He was drafted by the team in
1996 when he was 17 years old.

He became the heart and soul
of the team for 20 years.

He won five world championships.

He went to the
all-star game 18 times

and, really, just became
a huge star in his own right

apart from the team,
in that he was recognized

simply by his first name, Kobe.

How's everyone doing today?

NARRATOR: Ara Zobayan
has flown Kobe

and his family dozens of times.

Well, let's get going.

BRENT SCHROTENBOER: Kobe and
the pilot of this helicopter

had really become friends,
because he had piloted him

so many times around
Southern California

that they developed
a relationship.

NARRATOR: Kobe Bryant flies
in a luxury Sikorsky S-76B.

It's configured to
carry eight passengers.

The Sikorsky 76B is
sort of like an air

limousine, in that it's
quite common for VIP travel.

I think heads of state use
it in different countries.

And it's also used
as sort of an air

ambulance in some situations.

It's spacious and reliable.

It's really considered
about as safe as they come.

NARRATOR: Kobe, his daughter
Gianna, and six others

are headed to a basketball
tournament near Camarillo,

80 miles away.

Kobe is the team's coach,
Gianna the star player.

Today's 30-minute
flight will take

the helicopter north past
Burbank and then west

towards Camarillo.

Zobayan will follow two
highways for guidance.

The 5, northwest, and
the 101, west to Camarillo.

Hey, everyone.

It's about to get
loud back there.

Copter 72 Echo X-ray, Island
Express for east one departure.

MAN (RADIO): Helicopter 72 Echo
X-ray, cleared for departure

from Island Express.

Have a good flight.

Good flight to Echo X-ray.

NARRATOR: Just after
9:00 AM, the helicopter

lifts off from Santa Ana.

The destination is Kobe
Bryant's Mamba Sports Academy.

It's a regular
journey for Zobayan.

He flew this same group
there and back yesterday.

MALCOLM BRENNER: He was
a very experienced pilot.

He was able to fly
the helicopter at speed,

at low altitude,
in a very dense airspace,

and deal with weather
at the same time.

NARRATOR: Since his
early days as a player,

Kobe Bryant has
preferred helicopter

travel to the crowded freeways
of Southern California.

He routinely uses
helicopters for his personal

and professional travel.

Kobe loved to
fly by helicopter,

just because he loved how
much time it saved him.

NARRATOR: Kurt Deetz also
flew for Island Express.

Flying in LA
is like nowhere else.

There is a large congested--

congestion of multiple types
of airspace in a small area.

So you're always in
and out of airspace.

NARRATOR: Today's
flight will first

need to pass through the
controlled airspace surrounding

Burbank and then Van Nuys.

Burbank helicopter
72 Echo X-rays,

Sikorsky helicopter
approaching the zoom

for a 101 westbound transition.

NARRATOR: Zobayan requests
permission to pass

through Burbank's airspace.

It's a very busy airport.

And the controllers-- they
know what they're doing.

Number 72 Echo
X-ray, Burbank Tower.

Burbank Klaus Charlie is IFR.

Say intentions.

NARRATOR: Burbank is only
accepting IFR flights

or Instrument
Flight Rules, which

requires pilots to navigate
solely on instruments.

Zobayan, however, is only
authorized to fly using

Visual Flight Reference or VFR.

The threshold for visual
flight is normally three miles.

The Burbank Airport was
two-and-a-half miles.

NARRATOR: With insufficient
visibility for VFR,

the controller
denies his request.

But Zobayan's been
flying helicopters

in Southern California
long enough to know

a way around this restriction.

Asking for special
VFR transition

to the 101 westbound.

The special VFR
allows him to operate

at lower-than-standard
visibilities,

down to 1-mile visibility.

And that's an agreement
you have with the tower,

saying, I'm here.

I want to go there.

I'm requesting a special VFR.

NARRATOR: Special
VFR allows Zobayan

to navigate visually through
the area of low visibility.

November 2 Echo X-ray, hold
outside Burbank airspace.

I have an aircraft going
around in an inbound citation.

NARRATOR: The controller
authorizes Zobayan

to cross into Burbank airspace.

But under the rules
of special VFR,

he must now wait until the
airspace is clear of traffic.

OK, we'll hold
outside Burbank.

2 Echo X-ray.

Hey, everyone, we'll have to
circle here for a few minutes

while we wait for a few
planes to get out of our way.

Yeah, it shouldn't
delay us too much.

Anytime you have a hold,
it puts a great deal

of pressure on you as
a pilot, because you're

going to be late.

NARRATOR: Finally, after
holding for 12 minutes,

the Burbank airspace
clears, and Zobayan

is allowed to pass through.

November 2 Echo X-ray,
cleared through Burbank.

Maintain special VFR.

Copy that.

Will maintain special VFR.

Copter 2 Echo X-ray.

NARRATOR: From Burbank, the
helicopter will follow the I-5

freeway Northwest
and then the 118

around the top of
Van Nuys airspace,

then south to follow
the 101 to Camarillo.

Landmarks for flying aircraft
in LA is really important.

NARRATOR: Kobe Bryant
and the other passengers

are anticipated to
arrive in Camarillo just

a few minutes behind schedule.

Van Nuys helicopter
2 Echo X-ray with you

for the special VFR transition.

CONTROLLER (ON
RADIO): Helicopter 72

Echo X-ray, cleared into Van
Nuys along the 118 freeway

westbound.

NARRATOR: The
helicopter is cleared

to pass through the
airspace near Van Nuys.

Zobayan now dials in the final
controller for this journey,

the Southern California
Radar Approach

Controller, who will
handle the flight

until it reaches Camarillo.

SoCal helicopter 72 Echo X-ray
with you at 570 to Camarillo.

Helicopter 72 Echo
X-ray, SoCal approach.

Roger, are you just going
to stay down that low

all the way to Camarillo?

NARRATOR: The
helicopter is flying

570 feet above the ground.

Yes, sir, low altitude--

2 Echo X-ray.

NARRATOR: Zobayan needs to
stay below the clouds, which

are around 1,000 feet
above the ground.

Where he went was the lowest
route available because

of the weather.

Roger.

I'm gonna lose radar
with you shortly.

NARRATOR: But at the low
altitude and hilly terrain,

controllers won't
be able to maintain

radar contact with the flight.

The controllers would not see
him on radar, he was so low.

Copy, that 2 Echo X-ray.

NARRATOR: Less than 10
minutes from his destination,

the visibility gets worse.

In the Los Angeles
Basin area, it's

well known to get this
marine layer of colder water

temperatures, warmer air,
where you get these low clouds,

and you get lower visibilities.

NARRATOR: Zobayan
radios in his intention

to climb above some low clouds.

We're going to go ahead
and start our climb

to go above the layers.

2 Echo X-ray, where are you?

Just West of Van Nuys,
2 Echo X-ray.

2 Echo X-ray, ident?

NARRATOR: The controller hasn't
been tracking the helicopter.

He needs Zobayan to flash
his transponder signal,

so he can locate it
on his screen.

You press a button
on your transponder.

That flashes on
their radar screen,

so they know where you are.

Ident.

2 Echo X-ray, say intentions.

We're climbing to
4,000, 2 Echo X-ray.

And what are you going to do
when you reach altitude?

NARRATOR: In the
hills near Calabasas,

witnesses see a helicopter
emerge from the clouds

and hit the ground.

The team tracking
Kobe Bryant's flight

realizes something's gone wrong.

The helicopter should have
landed in Camarillo by now.

It has disappeared from
their flight tracker.

We have some breaking news.

A helicopter crash
in Southern California.

Los Angeles County
sheriff's deputies

responding to
reports of that crash

just before 10 AM Pacific time.

It's located in
the Calabasas area.

NARRATOR: It doesn't take
long before the media

is reporting the tragic news.

Kobe Bryant,
his 13-year-old daughter,

along with seven
other people have been

killed in a helicopter crash.

It's just one of those things
where you can read the words.

And you kind of process them,
but you don't really.

It's hard for it to sink in
because you've got to think

about he's never coming back.

He was the guy.

He was my icon, my role model,
who got me into the sport, who

got me playing.

I'm just at a loss
for words right now.

You won't see another player
like him again.

He will be missed.

MAN: There is this
tremendous outpouring

of grief in Los Angeles.

People flocked
to Staples Center,

left all kinds of
different mementos.

And this is much bigger
than basketball, I think,

just because I think Kobe
was a real symbol, you know,

of just hard work
and dedication.

MAN: Everybody was really just
heartsick by what happened.

Love you, Kobe.

Love you, Gigi,
and all the family.

We're here to conduct
a safety investigation.

And our mission is not to
just determine what happened

but why it happened
and how it happened

to prevent a similar accident
from ever happening again.

NARRATOR: The NTSB begins its
investigation at the crash

site, looking for any clues to
explain why a state-of-the-art

helicopter being
flown by a highly

experienced pilot crashed 24
miles short of its destination.

The first thing you
do at the crash site

is try to see that
all the components

make it to the crash site.

Was there any kind of
mechanical failures?

Did a rotor blade break
or a tail rotor come off?

NARRATOR: The team uses a
drone to scan the accident site

and study the shape
of the debris.

Looking at this
accident site, it's

very clear this was a
relatively high rate of descent.

The helicopter hit, and the
wreckage then bounced about 90

feet, where it came to a rest.

So there was a lot more
vertical speed here than you

have in horizontal speed.

And all the parts
of the helicopter

made it to the accident site.

NARRATOR: Investigators study
flight control surfaces--

the engines and rotors, as
well as the helicopter's

flight instruments.

Examination of those components
found that there was

no evidence of any
pre-impact failures--

that all the mechanical systems,
electronic systems,

everything at that time
appeared to be working fine.

NARRATOR: The
NTSB's Bill English

has led investigations into
some of the world's most

notorious aviation accidents.

We need to cover all
our bases on this one.

Knowing that there was a
high-profile person on board,

obviously NTSB responded with
a major investigations team.

OK, he takes off at 907.

He flies northwest.

NARRATOR: To better understand
what happened, investigators

piece together a detailed
flight path from an ADSB system

that's on board the
Sikorsky helicopter.

ADSB data is like
transponder data.

Controllers can see,
and it's recorded--

your airspeed, altitude, and
headings-- other information.

And so you have this
plotting capability.

Looked like there was some
kind of hold here at Burbank.

And he follows the
I-5 to Van Nuys,

and then south to
the 101, which he

follows until he
makes this U-turn

straight into a hillside.

You see this turn to the
left, where he's coming

back around or doing something.

And that question is now
in the investigation.

What's exactly the
pilot doing here?

Let's take a look
at the visibility.

NARRATOR: They study
visibility reports from weather

stations along the route.

He did manage to avoid
the worst of it here--

a bit socked in near Burbank
and Van Nuys, but nothing

he can't get through.

So he had four
miles of visibility.

When he got near
Burbank Airport,

it was two and a half
miles' visibility, but still

totally flyable for him.

In fact, by his
operation specifications,

he could go down to
one mile visibility.

OK, I get it if the
visibility was down to zero.

But this wasn't that bad.

So what happened to this guy?

Why do we have a high-time
pilot in an aircraft

that's capable of flight and
visibility conditions he should

have been able to
handle either lose

control or somehow
inadvertently flies

helicopter into the ground?

That becomes the key piece
of this investigation.

We need to figure out
what he could actually see.

We have a request
for the public.

We're looking for
photos of the weather

in the area of the crash.

If you could send those
photos to witness@ntsb.gov.

NARRATOR: Investigators make a
plea to the public for evidence

regarding the Island
Express helicopter

crash that took the lives of
Kobe Bryant and eight others.

They're looking for
clues to explain how

the pilot, Ara Zobayan,
ended up hitting a hillside

on a route he knew well.

More than 8,300 flying hours,
instructor on the S-76,

chief pilot at Island
Express and apparently

Kobe's favorite pilot.

Bit of a superstar.

Yeah.

This pilot was not a rookie
who just got his license.

He was one of LA's
top helicopter pilots

working for one of
its top companies

with some of its most
high-profile clients.

NARRATOR: Records show
that at 7 AM on the morning

of the flight, Zobayan
checked the weather

for his pre-flight
risk assessment

and determined that
even though there were

low-hanging clouds
blanketing the area,

the flight was low-risk.

A risk assessment is weather,
anxiety, sleep--

all these factors
that go into a flight.

But a low-lying cloud layer
surrounding Los Angeles known

as a marine layer forced
Zobayan to alter his regular,

more direct route.

Because of the
weather, he flew more

inland than he normally does--

sort of a backdoor way in
to where they were going.

Based on the forecast,
his plan was OK.

Pretty good visibility
all along the way.

So what went wrong?

NARRATOR: Investigators
need to understand

the exact conditions Zobayan
flew into the final moments

of the flight.

These are three
separate cameras, all

facing south toward the 101.

Couldn't ask
for a better view.

NARRATOR: The NTSB's plea
for pictures of the weather

pays off.

A nearby baseball facility
had surveillance cameras

pointed at key sections
of the flight path

as the helicopter flew past.

Let's see what this
one shows on a clear day.

NARRATOR: Investigators compare
images from the same camera

taken on a clear day
to images recorded

at the time of the accident.

Yeah, perfect.

OK, so one minute
before the accident,

the helicopter would
be bombing along here.

Can't see it.

How close did it
get to the camera?

Best view of it would be here.

That's 4,400 feet.

NARRATOR: The helicopter is
less than a mile from the camera

but isn't visible.

OK, so what about
larger objects?

These hills, for instance--

visible on a clear day, but
not at the time of the crash.

That hilltop is
8,000 feet away.

So visibility
beneath the clouds

was less than 8,000 feet.

It's a mile and a half.

NARRATOR: The video study
tells investigators

that around the time
of the accident,

Zobayan would not have been
able to see any further

than one and a half miles.

You're only allowed
to fly in visibilities

one mile or greater.

A mile and a half--

pretty low, pretty--
pretty minimal.

NARRATOR: Investigators
know Zobayan would have been

able to fly safely
below the clouds

with one and a
half-mile visibility.

So what if he was actually
above the cloud base?

But he was only 450
feet above the ground.

NARRATOR: The cloud ceiling,
the base of the cloud layer,

was reported to be 1,100
feet near Van Nuys.

But Zobayan was
flying about 450 feet

above the ground, which would
put him well below the clouds.

These are images from the
camera on the 101 facing west.

OK, you can just make him
out here actually heading

into fairly heavy clouds.

Same camera, 3 seconds later,
he's disappeared.

And then we have a witness
who said that she saw

the helicopter
disappear into what

she described as a thick
wall of heavy clouds.

The NTSB had quite a few very
good witnesses, in my opinion.

And they also had
cameras in the area.

So they could collect data in
real time of what this pilot

would have been encountering.

The surveillance
data shows him

only 450 feet above the ground.

So the cloud base was no more
than 450 feet above the ground,

not the 1,100 feet which was
being reported along his route.

The report at an airport
five miles away

can be greatly different
than what you're encountering

because of uplifting winds
and that type of thing

around the hills.

NARRATOR: The area
near Calabasas

has its own unique climate.

The Malibu Canyon can channel
fog up from the Pacific Ocean.

That fog is known to pool
precisely where Zobayan

was seen flying into clouds.

The fog gathers here
at Myrtle Road.

And this is where our witnesses
saw him enter the clouds.

NARRATOR: Investigators
have determined

that just over a minute
before the accident,

Zobayan flew into dense
clouds that would have reduced

his visibility to near zero.

That clinches it.

He flew into IMC.

NARRATOR: IMC, Instrument
Meteorological Conditions,

is when visibility is
so poor that pilots need

to fly only on instruments.

They were only authorized to
fly under visual flight rules.

Legally, he's not
allowed to enter it.

He's only allowed to go
in visual conditions only.

And yet he did.

NARRATOR: In aviation,
there's a term for VFR pilots

who fly into low
visibility conditions.

It's called an inadvertent
encounter with IMC.

It can happen at night.

We fly into a cloud
that you didn't see.

It can happen that you're
choosing to avoid something,

and you inadvertently
go into a cloud.

Unfortunately it's an accident
that happens way too often.

NARRATOR: Inadvertent
IMC is a leading

cause of aviation accidents
over the past 10 years.

More than 80% of them are fatal.

You can't see
where the horizon is.

And you can't see the
sky from the ground.

You don't know visually,
which is our main sense.

You have to rely
on secondary senses

such as sense of balance.

And there are
illusions that come up.

NARRATOR: An inadvertent
encounter with instrument

conditions is so
potentially dangerous

that pilots are trained to do
whatever they can to avoid it.

How did he let himself
get into this situation?

Let's see his speeds
and altitudes.

NARRATOR: The data from the
ADSB gives investigators

a detailed picture of
the helicopter's altitude

and speed as it
approached Calabasas.

If Zobayan tried to avoid
the worsening conditions,

the data would show it.

He's bombing along
here at about 140 knots.

Visibility is getting
worse and worse,

but he's not slowing down.

He's not turning around.

He just keeps going.

Why?

He could have turned
around, landed at Van Nuys.

He could have circled for a
while where near the airport,

waiting for the
conditions to improve.

For whatever reason,
we don't know,

he chose none of those options.

NARRATOR: The team now
considers the widely held belief

that Zobayan was pressured
to continue the flight

by his high-profile passenger.

A lot of people wondered after
the crash happened if Kobe,

being Kobe, might have put
pressure on this pilot to get

to where he wanted to go,
because that's the whole reason

that he was taking the
helicopter in the first place

is to get from point A
to point B

and do it without
any unnecessary delays.

The same passengers take
the same flight the day

before the accident.

They're scheduled
to take off at 9:45,

but Kobe's changed that to 9:00.

They moved it up
by 45 minutes so

that Kobe could watch
another team or teams

play in preparation for
his daughter's basketball

tournament on Sunday.

So they get airborne
just after 9:00,

and then this happens.

They're held up for 12 minutes.

November 2 Echo X-ray, hold
outside Burbank airspace.

I have an aircraft going
around in an inbound citation.

NARRATOR: Investigators know
that Kobe's helicopter was held

up at Burbank for 12 minutes
while Zobayan

waited for traffic to clear
the controlled airspace.

OK, we'll hold
outside Burbank.

2 Echo X-ray.

NARRATOR: A little more
than 10 minutes later,

Zobayan flew into
thick cloud cover

at a speed of 160 miles an hour
as he approached Camarillo.

In my opinion,
140 knots is probably

twice the speed he should
have been operating

in those visual conditions.

He should have slowed down.

Was he trying to make
up for the lost time?

NARRATOR: The team digs into
Kobe Bryant's previous flights

with Island Express to see
if there's any history of him

putting pressure on pilots.

Took 26 flights with Island
Express last year, and not once

did he pressure a pilot
to keep going.

Kobe would never put
pressure on a pilot.

I flew him for two years.

Not once was there ever any
amount of pressure from him.

NARRATOR: Investigators
find no evidence

that Kobe Bryant or
any member of his team

put pressure on Zobayan
to continue the flight.

They had a history.

NARRATOR: They scrutinized
Kobe Bryant's relationship

with Ara Zobayan
for anything that

could have affected
the pilot's behavior

on the day of the accident.

More than history.

The director of operations
says that Kobe's relationship

with Ara was, quote,
"warm and friendly,"

that he trusted Ara with
his girls and his family,

and that they always wanted Ara.

But the company's VP says that
their relationship was more

like a friendship and that Kobe
would call him "Mr. Pilot Man."

These guys sure were tight.

The relationship may
have been pressure enough.

How's everyone doing today?

NARRATOR: Investigators
conclude that Zobayan's

close relationship
with Kobe Bryant

may have led to
self-induced pressure

to get him to his destination.

Part of the concern
here is that the pilot

was trying to complete
the mission in part

to satisfy the client.

NARRATOR:
Investigators soon find

another important factor
that may have influenced

Zobayan's decision-making.

Six minutes before the crash,
he clears Van Nuys airspace

and heads south--

tells controllers that he
planned to stay low all the way

to Camarillo.

To stay below the clouds.

PILOT (ON RADIO):
Helicopter 72 Echo X-ray.

Are you just going
to stay down that low

all the way to Camarillo?

Yes, sir-- low altitude.

2 Echo X-ray.

Two minutes later,
he starts following

the 101, which should lead
him straight into Camarillo.

He bombs along the 101
for two more minutes

until he hits this
wall of clouds.

24 miles to go.

He was almost there.

Almost.

NARRATOR: Zobayan
was less than 10

minutes away from
getting his passengers

to their destination.

When you're
close to finishing,

you have a tendency to
be willing to tolerate

conditions that might
have caused you not

to take the trip originally.

NARRATOR: The team believes
Zobayan was suffering

from a condition known as
plan continuation bias when

he decided to keep going
despite deteriorating

weather conditions.

Plan continuation bias
is an unconscious bias

to continue with
the original plan,

even when conditions change.

But in an aviation environment,
it can be deadly.

It doesn't take long for
things to start going wrong as

soon as he entered that cloud.

NARRATOR: Instead
of turning around,

Zobayan decides to
climb above the clouds.

We're going to go ahead
and start our climb

to go above the layers.

He starts banking
further and further left,

descends rapidly,
hits the hill here.

NARRATOR: The pilot's
unusual actions

lead investigators to
wonder about the level

of training he received.

He was trained to
avoid IMC and what

to do if he got into it.

NARRATOR: They
discover that Zobayan

was well-trained to escape
the precise conditions he

flew into.

This pilot trained routinely
for inadvertent IMC situation.

More than that, he was the
chief pilot of the company.

He set the safety standards
for all the pilots,

and he trained them
on how to deal

with instrument conditions.

This is what he was taught.

NARRATOR: A review
of Zobayan's training

shows that he was taught
to reduce his speed,

use the autopilot to
climb above the clouds,

and then declare an emergency.

His training was good.

NARRATOR: But did Zobayan
follow his training?

Here, he's entering an
area of low visibility,

still flying well
above 100 knots.

No evidence of slowing down.

NARRATOR: Investigators know
Zobayan did not reduce speed.

They now wonder if he
engaged the autopilot.

Play.

PILOT (ON RADIO): We're going
to go ahead and start our climb

to go above the layers.

Look at that rate of climb--

1,500 feet a minute.

It can't be the
autopilot doing that.

That exceeds the authority
of the autopilot system.

Therefore, this climb was
being manually controlled.

All right, well,
at this point,

he's just trying to
get above the clouds

without the autopilot.

NARRATOR: The higher Zobayan
climbs into the dense cloud,

the worse the visibility gets.

But he never asks for help.

Well, he never
reports an emergency

and never mentions being in IMC.

And the one thing
he should have been saying?

Mayday, mayday, mayday, declare
an emergency, inadvertent IMC.

He didn't slow down.

He didn't use his autopilot.

He never declared an emergency.

He ignored all his training.

There are basic procedures
that should be followed.

And you have to have very
cautious approach to any sort

of instrument conditions.

This was not evident in the
way the pilot flew that day.

NARRATOR: By ignoring
his training,

Zobayan found himself in a
rapid climb with no visibility

and without the help
of the autopilot--

prime conditions for becoming
spatially disoriented.

Annemarie Landman
studies the effects

of spatial disorientation
in pilots.

If you take away outside
visual reference from a pilot,

then he or she will really
have to trust the instruments,

because if you don't have
outside visual reference, then

any sensation that you feel
can be very misleading.

NARRATOR: Did Ara Zobayan suffer
the effects of disorientation

after flying into dense clouds?

MAN: 2 Echo X-ray.

Say intentions.

NARRATOR: Zobayan's
last words show

that's precisely what happened.

PILOT (ON RADIO):
We're climbing to 4,000.

2 Echo X-ray.

Did you hear that?

It's like he completely
lost his bearings.

NARRATOR: The recording tells
investigators that Zobayan

believed he was
climbing when he was

actually descending
rapidly toward the ground

in a steep left turn.

It's what aviators call
"the graveyard spiral."

To right that aircraft--

no.

In a mountainous area,
you're done.

You're absolutely done.

NARRATOR: The team
has pieced together

a picture of a pilot who
flew into prime conditions

for causing disorientation.

Zobayan's problem starts just
after he flies into the cloud.

He decides the best thing
to do is to fly above it.

NARRATOR: But as he climbs,
visibility

worsens, and his reference
to the highway below

and the horizon ahead
quickly disappear.

It's all but impossible
for pilots

to determine a plane's pitch and
roll without a visual reference

to their surroundings.

Without visual cues, the human
body is unable to maintain

its spatial bearings.

The result is disorientation.

As the highway below veers left,
Zobayan tries to stay with it.

He puts the helicopter
into a gradual left turn.

He's not looking at the
instruments at this point.

He was perhaps looking down
to search for the highway

that he was following before.

2 Echo X-ray, ident.

NARRATOR: Zobayan now
faces a distraction

that makes the situation
significantly worse.

Ident.

NARRATOR: He is
forced to identify

himself to the controller.

It's not only a distraction.

It forces him to move his head,
which increases

the risk of disorientation.

We advise pilots to
not move their head

around when they're flying
without outward visual

reference.

This is moving the fluid
in your inner ears.

And this actually
makes you a little bit

more susceptible to illusions.

The highway now veers off
to the right,

but he's lost sight of it.

He's banking further
and further to the left

without even realizing it.

30 seconds from impact.

NARRATOR:
Disorientation sets in.

The turn is so gradual, and
it is so slow, that the onset--

it seems that he's
not feeling that.

So for him, it still feels
that he's flying level.

And he gets to 1,600 feet,
and he starts to descend

without even knowing it.

It's clear that
prior to the accident,

the pilot really did not know
what the helicopter was doing,

because he was asked
his intentions,

and he indicated that he
was climbing to 4,000 feet.

We're climbing to 4,000.

2 Echo X-ray.

MAN: At that point, the
helicopter was not climbing.

It was descending
towards the crash,

and the pilot didn't realize it.

NARRATOR: He's now in a rapid
descent and likely looking

for clear skies above,
not noticing what

his instruments are showing.

Without having outside
visual references

and not being focused
on your instruments,

it's very easy
for that to happen.

And it does happen
far too often.

He's so far over, it's
like he lost all his lift.

He's plummeting to the ground.

Graveyard spiral-- classic.

About a minute after
entering the clouds,

he hits the ground like this--

almost on his side at
more than 160 knots.

There's no sign he ever figured
out what was really happening.

NARRATOR: Kobe Bryant and
eight others died as a result

of an all-too-common scenario--

a helicopter pilot flying
IMC and becoming disoriented.

We need something to help
pilots understand that just

because you feel
like your body is

being pushed down in the seat
doesn't mean you're climbing.

NARRATOR: That device
exists and is helping train

pilots in the Netherlands.

The one-of-a-kind simulator
lets researchers reproduce

the feeling of spatial
disorientation without pilots

having to leave the ground.

All right, .

OK, Martin, so how
are you feeling now?

I'm feeling pitched up.

ANNEMARIE: You're
feeling pitched up?

Yeah.

NARRATOR: Investigators, hoping
to prevent the kind of accident

that caused Ara Zobayan to
get so badly disoriented,

are looking closely at the
work being done in labs

like this one at the
Netherlands Organization

for Applied Scientific
Research, or TNO.

We investigate the effects
of spatial disorientation

on pilot performance.

NARRATOR: Zobayan believed
he was climbing when he was

actually descending
and was unaware that he

was in a steep left turn.

He was suffering from two of the
most common illusions affecting

pilots--

somatogravic,
involving his sense

of pitch, and somatogyral,
involving his sense of roll.

Spatial disorientation
is a factor in about 30%

of fatal helicopter crashes.

NARRATOR: This rotating chair
helps pilots experience

the effect of the leans--

the inability to recognize
that you are in a steep turn.

When a pilot starts to turn,
the fluid in the inner ear

responds.

And it's telling that
he or she is in a turn.

But after a while, the
fluid sort of settles.

So it actually feels as if
they're flying level again.

NARRATOR: This pilot
is using his thumbs

to show the direction he
believes he's turning.

For the first few
seconds, he's right.

But as the fluid
in his ear settles,

he no longer senses the turn.

This is the identical illusion
that Ara Zobayan experienced.

It's why he never realized
that he had entered

a gradual left turn once he
lost sight of the highway

below, even though his
instruments would have been

telling him precisely that.

We train them here to
really trust their instruments

and to really be focused
on their instruments,

especially in situations
of low visibility.

NARRATOR: But the
heart of TNO's facility

is this simulator
called Desdemona.

OK, so here's what's
going to happen.

You just have to
wait for our mark.

And then you just have
to level the aircraft.

But you have to do that
with the instruments,

so only based on
your gut feeling.

NARRATOR: It's a disorientation
demonstrator which

safely simulates the effects
of pitch and roll illusions

on pilots.

It's the only one in the world.

ANNEMARIE (ON RADIO): OK,
Martin, so first, you're just

going to fly a little
bit to get acquainted

with the controls, all right?

Yeah, so you have the
instruments available.

MAN: Yep.

OK, let's start
the simulation.

NARRATOR: Unlike simulators
that are attached to the ground,

Desdemona can simulate
unlimited degrees

of pitch, yaw, and roll, as well
as the forces of acceleration.

It's really important to have
a simulator that can really

create a constant force
or constant force

that feels like acceleration.

Continuing climb.

Continuing climb.

NARRATOR: Pilot Martin
Kemna is about to experience

the same sensation that Zobayan
felt moments before the crash.

The instruments in the
simulator are turned off,

so he must rely only on feel.

Martin, how are
you feeling now?

I'm feeling
straight and level.

Let's ramp up the acceleration
and see how that feels.

Now we're starting
the centrifuge,

and the cabin of the simulator
is pointing towards the center.

So for Martin, it actually just
feels like he's accelerating

forwards.

NARRATOR: The acceleration
causes him to mistake

what is actually happening.

OK, Martin, what
are you feeling now?

MARTIN (ON RADIO):
A bit pitched up.

ANNEMARIE: And what do you think
that the aircraft is doing now?

MARTIN (ON RADIO):
We're climbing now.

If you're
accelerating forwards,

the little hairs
in your inner ear

will actually give a constant
signal that is the same

as if you're being pitched up.

We're climbing to 4,000,
2 Echo X-ray.

NARRATOR: It's the exact
illusion that caused

Ara Zobayan to
believe he was still

climbing when his helicopter
was in a steep descent.

So can you now bring
the nose back to level?

MARTIN (ON RADIO): Yeah, sure.

So you can see
that he's bringing

the nose below the horizon.

But for him, this
actually feels level.

So shall we show
him the instruments?

MARTIN (ON RADIO): Oh, my god.

No, 20 degrees, nose down.

OK.

Can you recover?

We hope that this helps
them to recognize spatial

disorientation when it occurs.

Secondly, we also
hope to teach them

some skills that help them to
manage spatial disorientation

if it occurs.

Wow.

That was-- it was crazy.

I believe that as a tribute
to the victims of this accident,

the industry needs to realize
how common and sinister

these effects can be and develop
better safety standards.

NARRATOR: As a result
of NTSB recommendations,

the Federal Aviation
Administration

is evaluating tools like
Desdemona that can be used

to train more pilots how
to recognize and cope

with the effects
of disorientation.

The last thing
the NTSB wants to do

is go back and investigate
this kind of accident

all over again.

And through the death of this
person and people on board,

hopefully this will be the
one to help improve safety.

Time will tell.