With no black box recorder aboard the helicopter that crashed last month killing Kobe Bryant and eight others, investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board are turning to the travelers’ personal electronics for potential answers.
The pilot had a choice to turn back, begin flying using the helicopter’s instruments and find a nearby airport, or press on. The pilot continued the flight.
But the pilot did have an app loaded on his iPad that allows a pilot to plan a flight and check on weather, terrain, position and potential hazards in real time from the cockpit. Theapp can provide in-flight alerts of changing conditions, and it monitors GPS, speed and other dynamics of the aircraft.
Gary Lackey, a former FAA inspector who for years has inspected choppers at Island Express, the operator of the helicopter that went down, said it’s not uncommon to see iPads with ForeFlight mounted for use by pilots. Veteran aviators say the devices can provide insight into a flight but also can prove to be a distraction.
The helicopter was flying over open ranch land when it went down. The NTSB determined there was no mechanical failure or malfunction, but the pilot’s cellphone, which was recovered and reviewed, showed he had called a car rental agency during the flight.When interviewed, the car rental clerk said she could tell the pilot was in a helicopter and that he seemed “busy or distracted.” They were talking about a future rental when the phone disconnected mid-sentence, she said.
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