Island Express – the company that operated the helicopter that killed Kobe Bryant and eight others – is suing the two air traffic controllers who they claim caused January’s crash. It’s actually a classic case of pass the buck because, as we told you, Vanessa Bryant has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Island Express.
According to paperwork filed by the helicopter company, the air traffic controllers were guiding the pilot to the Mamba Academy. When the pilot asked for radar guidance because of the heavy fog, one of the controllers said, “I’m going to lose radar and comms [communications] probably pretty shortly so you can just squawk VFR [visual flight rules] and when you get closer to go to Camarillo tower.”
Island Express claims that the air traffic controller denied the pilot the use of life-saving radar, despite the fact that radar guidance hadn’t been lost. And the controller that relieved the first one was unhelpful and uninformed. By the time someone knowledgeable reached the pilot – after many tries – he was too stressed and distracted to take the help.
Source: TMZ
