Rip Kobe Bryant

I’ve been in a helicopter a few times, so I don’t get how somehow this is on Kobe. There is no way in **** I would tell a pilot whether he can go or not go. Same as being in a plane. The pilot is the captain, the master and commander of the vessel. He’s supposed to know all his stuff, whether flying conditions allow further safe flight or not, the rest of us are strictly passengers.

Maybe someone can explain.

TOTALLY different in "private" vs commercial world.

The private aircraft pilots and ownership groups get all kinds of pressure from their clients. "Are you REALLY sure we can't take off?"

Also, as I understand, the chopper was owned by one of K Bryant's LLC. Who knows what was said or done.

My guess in several months time: NTSB rules pilot error was primary, if not sole, reason for crash.
 
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Yeah, it’s very odd to see all this victim shaming that somehow places Kobe at fault for relying on a pilot’s willingness to take off.

Does anyone honestly believe for two seconds that Kobe would allow himself and his daughter to board an aircraft in unsafe conditions?

You would be surprised how much pressure to "go" private (charter) side pilots and aircrew face.
 
The pilot is the expert, he makes the assessment on whether or not they fly.

As a passenger you put your trust in the pilot that he knows what he's doing & has the situation under control.

People trying to blame this on Kobe are only doing so because they simply didn't like him while he was alive & hate to see the outpouring of love & sadness that people are devasted that he's gone.

But that's just a testament to the greatness of who he was, that so many people loved him that it actually bothers people to see him be celebrated for the great man he truly was.

If people are blaming him for any of the flight decisions, especially once they are in the air, thats on the pilot, or at least not on Kobe.

But he did decide to get on the flight. To be clear I am not saying he did anything wrong and certainly not saying its his fault. We all take things for granted at times. Get complacent. 2020 hindsight is everything and all that. He went on hundreds of these flights,maybe in similar weather, but I just know if all government and other flights are grounded Im thinking long and hard about getting on that chopper. Especially with my kid. Even if the pilot is saying we should be safe. I know I'll think of Kobe now if I am ever in a similar situation. This seems like something that should not have happened for a number of different reasons. Terribly sad.
 
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Oh, I’m sure it does happen often. But since everyone is now dead, such a claim is pure speculation.

What’s not speculation is that the pilot should not have taken off.

Don't disgree with you one bit. Troubling from an airmenship perspective that they took off in what appears to be questionable (or no-go) flight conditions at both departure and arrival locations.

People often forget, especially for small aircraft that you need acceptable conditions at both of those areas or you can't (well shouldn't) fly.
 
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TOTALLY different in "private" vs commercial world.

The private aircraft pilots and ownership groups get all kinds of pressure from their clients. "Are you REALLY sure we can't take off?"

Also, as I understand, the chopper was owned by one of K Bryant's LLC. Who knows what was said or done.

My guess in several months time: NTSB rules pilot error was primary, if not sole, reason for crash.
That's exactly correct. Two instances of private flights that resulted in disaster were the crash of music promoter Bill Graham. He convinced his pilot to fly in very unsafe conditions where they were following a highway and were blown into electrical wires killing everyone on board. The other one I was personally related to. The flight that killed aaliyah and her whole crew. I worked at the record label and my boss was on board the flight. The pilot knew they were overweight but the manager didn't want to make two trips so they crammed all of the production equipment and personnel on board. The plane got a few hundred feet off the ground before crashing and killing everyone on board. Later they found the pilot was pretty coked up and wasn't making good decisions. Both instances were a combination of errors. When I was a kid I a bunch of my dads coworkers were killed when a helicopter plowed into the side of a hillside in Ireland in dense fog.
Not saying any of this is the case but I think helicopters and fog call for over cautiousness. Unfortunately the pilot thought his abilities were greater than the situation if it turns out to be pilot error.
 
TOTALLY different in "private" vs commercial world.

The private aircraft pilots and ownership groups get all kinds of pressure from their clients. "Are you REALLY sure we can't take off?"

Also, as I understand, the chopper was owned by one of K Bryant's LLC. Who knows what was said or done.

My guess in several months time: NTSB rules pilot error was primary, if not sole, reason for crash.

Makes no difference in a pilot fulfilling his pilot duties.

I understand that there’s a different dynamic between commercial and private. But that does not change the fact that historically, legally, practically, the pilot is still in charge. He should call all the shots. If he doesn’t call all the shots, that is still on him. That means he abdicated his pilot responsibilities, he willingly chose to do this.

I’m just wrapping up this portion of the conversation, by saying that we don’t even know what happened. It could have been engine failure. But if it was not, and if somehow that helicopter was in perfect working order, then the pilot is 100% responsible, no matter what the working dynamic was with the owner of the helicopter, ie, Kobe, or whomever.
 
Makes no difference in a pilot fulfilling his pilot duties.

I understand that there’s a different dynamic between commercial and private. But that does not change the fact that historically, legally, practically, the pilot is still in charge. He should call all the shots. If he doesn’t call all the shots, that is still on him. That means he abdicated his pilot responsibilities, he willingly chose to do this.

I’m just wrapping up this portion of the conversation, by saying that we don’t even know what happened. It could have been engine failure. But if it was not, and if somehow that helicopter was in perfect working order, then the pilot is 100% responsible, no matter what the working dynamic was with the owner of the helicopter, ie, Kobe, or whomever.
I lived pretty close to Kobe for a lot of years and we would see his black chopper with the big Nike emblem on the side all the time. He flew it all the time when he was playing. One things for sure it's a sickening tragedy all these families destroyed and young lives lost.
 
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TOTALLY different in "private" vs commercial world.

The private aircraft pilots and ownership groups get all kinds of pressure from their clients. "Are you REALLY sure we can't take off?"

Also, as I understand, the chopper was owned by one of K Bryant's LLC. Who knows what was said or done.

My guess in several months time: NTSB rules pilot error was primary, if not sole, reason for crash.
FYI the plane was owned by Island Express Holding Corp, which is 100% owned by a guy named Phillip DiFiore
 
People turn in to such saps when celebrities die. Kobe Bryant didn’t know who the **** any of you people are, and he wouldn’t have given a **** if any of you died in a car accident or whatever.

And everyone just wants to forget about how he raped some girl a few years ago?

EVERYONE dies. Kobe Bryant dying at 41 isn’t any more sad than the millions who die around the world EVERY SINGLE DAY.
 
People turn in to such saps when celebrities die. Kobe Bryant didn’t know who the **** any of you people are, and he wouldn’t have given a **** if any of you died in a car accident or whatever.

And everyone just wants to forget about how he raped some girl a few years ago?

EVERYONE dies. Kobe Bryant dying at 41 isn’t any more sad than the millions who die around the world EVERY SINGLE DAY.
You sure seem like a good dude.
 
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You sure seem like a good dude.

Never said I was a good dude. People turn in to teary-eyed ***** when celebrities die, and it’s disgusting.

If you were around when Princess Diana died, that was the worst. You’re sad because why....because you watched this dude who has never heard of your *** play ball on TV?

It’s ******* stupid.
 
Never said I was a good dude. People turn in to teary-eyed ***** when celebrities die, and it’s disgusting.

If you were around when Princess Diana died, that was the worst. You’re sad because why....because you watched this dude who has never heard of your *** play ball on TV?

It’s ******* stupid.
He was a role model to a lot of kids. Not sure why that would **** you off so bad?
 
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I’ve been in a helicopter a few times, so I don’t get how somehow this is on Kobe. There is no way in **** I would tell a pilot whether he can go or not go. Same as being in a plane. The pilot is the captain, the master and commander of the vessel. He’s supposed to know all his stuff, whether flying conditions allow further safe flight or not, the rest of us are strictly passengers.

Maybe someone can explain.
If it’s incredibly foggy out and you are a smart guy with a ton of experience in the air, are you putting your baby girl on a helicopter to go to a dopey basketball game? I’m not. Not worth the risk.
 
Never said I was a good dude. People turn in to teary-eyed ***** when celebrities die, and it’s disgusting.

If you were around when Princess Diana died, that was the worst. You’re sad because why....because you watched this dude who has never heard of your *** play ball on TV?

It’s ******* stupid.
I'm sad the guy and his daughter as well as another family and the pilot all lost their lives yesterday. I didn't cry. I didn't cry for Diana either. I knew neither of them; yet, I found both deaths quite sad. It's weird you feel anger instead. That's gotta be on the list of criteria for serial killers I'd think.
 
FYI the plane was owned by Island Express Holding Corp, which is 100% owned by a guy named Phillip DiFiore

INTERESTING. Media reporting "K Bryant owned the aircraft". I believe it was reported he purchased the aircraft from Island Express in 2015?

Perhaps he was leasing it?

The accurate details will eventually come out.
 
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