Juan thank you, I am a corporate s-76 pilot in NYC and follow you channel we share the same passion for learning,and truth i have a few questions. has anyone found out if the pilot has any formal training at Flight Safety or simuflight 25 years ago when i started flying the 76 my initial training was 14 days and almost 20 hours in the simulator with recurrent training once a year which is 5 days of training and simulator time, this is the big iron of the helicopter world, very rare to see single pilot and an insurance company that would approve this type of operation with out special training for single pilot operations, i do know of some medevac and offshore company's that do it , IFR, airport to airport ( departure to approach ) not scud running in a 76, the noise alone would anger the neighborhoods AP's on ( auto pilot's on ) is part of the standard before take off check list in any 76, take your feet off the pedals and your fingers off the triggers and the helicopter would auto stabilize SAS stability augmentation system part of the auto pilot this truly is a tragedy my prayers to all involved
The fact that he was flying solo was definitely odd. Chatting with friends we all had the same thoughts. Kobe was a VIP worth hundreds of millions of dollars. Whenever we flew anyone that was a VIP, we never did it solo. Insurance companies do not want to pay out the type of money that can bankrupt them. Presidents of banks, VIPs, actors, athletes and your everyday rich people could not be flown single pilot. We'll never know what he was thinking but he obviously omitted the truth. The 1st time I listened to the audio I knew he was being less than truthful. He repeated the clearance but he didn't follow it. Ego, star struck, get there itis or his attention was on something else? Just sad all around.
@@frederickwhite6416 I rode in an S-76 and Bell 214 in Alaska several times in IFR operations and there were always two pilots, and in the S-76 the Auto pilot was used exclusively in IMC conditions. I seem to recall that single-pilot IFR was not approved in the S-76 for that 135 operation and even under part 91.
It's hard for me to understand why 76 people (as of February 8th) gave this video a thumbs down. Facts only and no opinions were presented. I appreciate that a knowledgeable person took the time to create it. Very well done!
Juan, nice job on this one. Been following your channel since the beginning and this crash on your channel since it happened. I was flying in to LAX on SWA when the crash happened and remembered noting how foggy it was. Sad situation especially hearing how close they came to breaking out.
An axiom that we lived by in my police department was, "In order to there first, you first have to get there." It's important that we review and critique incidents like this so we can increase of knowledge base and hopefully prevent future disasters of this type. Unfortunately, this pilot was obviously aware of the dangers involved flying in conditions that were present during the flight and continued to worsen as time went by. The helicopter driver you interviewed in a previous video expressed, at least in my view, the truth about this crash. Just because a helicopter pilot CAN fly in special VFR conditions doesn't mean they SHOULD. He was much closer than 100 feet from "making it." He was zero feet from making it as all he had to do is simply turn around when conditions began to worsen. Regardless of how much training pilots receive, no matter how much experience they have, and no matter how much avionics we stuff into an aircraft, there is no protection to to be had when a human being ignores their training, experience, and all of the bits of flight data they have processed, and dives headfirst into the stupid pool. Regardless of the profession, there's simply is no substitute for common sense. When that last line of defense fails, helicopters crash and police officers die.
@@heyinway apparently he hovered and circled in the area next door (Glendale) for 15 minutes, waiting for clearance so as to enter the Burbank area. Surely during this time he could have ascertained, or a ground controller could have mentioned extremely foggy conditions ahead of him? This is when he must have had a few reservations about this flight. I also think it was really bad luck that at this crucial time, as he was trying to rise up above the fog, that the ground controller he was in communication with, went off duty, and the new guy wasn't aware of the situation. Precious seconds lost.
@Melvin Walker I think many people have commented that he was going too fast as he turned West to follow Hwy 101. So, his decision to fly at a fast speed in SVFR with deteriorating conditions as he approached the mountain range (which he was very familiar with) was probably a very bad one for his experience level. I do feel sorry for him and his family, but sometimes we just make simple mistakes that begin a domino effect of more mistakes.
that's a great sentiment - but you can't train for, and can't prepare for pressure cooker type situations like this - i am willing to bet this pilot felt immense pressure to deliver for a VIP. And he probably had taken chances before and didn't get burned so he had a false sense of security. Monday morning QBing is easy.
@@heyinway I believe he was going too fast to do this. Personally, I believe he saw the first big hill top coming fast at him (where the 101 makes a sharp curve approx 45 degrees SW to go around this big hill.) If you look at the parallel road, Mureau Road, next to the 101, it dead ends perpendicular into Las Virgenes Rd. I believe he reacted to the hilltop popping in front if him by pulling up immediately and ascending. (I don't think he any choice.) So, once he did that maneuver, he is already headed into IMC/the clouds. Note: I asked this same question a couple of days after the accident, and basically was told he couldn't hover unless the heli had fixed points for hovering to work. This basically cant happen in IMC because of drift and other issues. (Pardon me if this is not technically accurate.) Hopefully a pilot can explain better. If he had been flying slower after passing Van Nuys, then it seems like he could have stayed within SVFR and seen the beginning of the mountain range approaching, then do as you said.
Brilliant and direct. I think you nailed it. As Dirty Harry put it , a man's got to know his limitations. Humility is merely intellectual honesty. And he honestly ought to have aborted. A sad and regrettable choice. I a sense, like so many other moments in all our lives, he failed by not being conservative enough and failing to respect the risk. Welcome to the human race. RIP.
@@skatelife2013 what do you mean it's a hoax?? Are you trying to say Kobe his daughter and those 7 other people didn't die?? Or are you saying it's a hoax as in they did die just not like how the media is reporting it??
I love the arm chair pilots here saying this pilot couldn't have made a mistake with all his experience. I've been working in telecom for 5 years and have worked in rain, snow, heavy winds and rain. I have all sorts of experience climbing poles and ladders. 2 months ago i fell off my ladder doing something that's become 2nd nature to me. Regardless of experience we are not pefect and we all fuck up and makes mistakes. Bad things happen to good people. That is what happened here. No kamikaze stuff or illuminati blood sacrafice here. Pilot made a bad decision. Period
Yes, if you, like me, watch all the videos about airplane crashes, the pilots almost always are highly experienced with thousands of flight hours yet still make fatal mistakes. Probably complacency and self-confidence contribute.
Robert Ellion, EXACTLY. Humans are flawed and always will be. A lot of people can't accept that its seemingly more and more likely that the pilot made an error that cost him and others there lives. So sad.
1000th like 👏your videos are very informative and I appreciate hearing your perspective. Thank you for keeping us educated and explaining things easily to those who don't understand all the ins and outs of aviation lingo.
Regarding spatial disorientation it can happen in a small manner in clear skies, if you've ever flown a light aircraft above clouds it can feel like you are completely still in the air and just hanging there. It's a weird and strange sensation and it makes you think you could just step out of the aircraft. It's only a momentarily thing but it shows that the mind can be easily confused by visual effects.
Richard Bradley ....You are totally correct on how easy it is to confuse your mind! I think about as a kid when traveling on the freeway and sitting in the back seat looking out the window while slowly passing a tractor trailer and as you’re looking it starts to look like the truck is moving backwards. It’s very easy to get disoriented when you don’t have anything around you to judge your position. And when flying in clouds and even as you said in clear conditions when flying really high and above the clouds you can become totally confused about speed and surroundings because it’s no surroundings around you to measure by, so your body can tell you something totally different than what is really happening. And for the people saying why didn’t the pilot do this, that or the other those decisions had to be made way before he was in that situation because once he flew into those clouds he only had a matter of seconds to do a whole lot of things all while being disoriented. Time was not something that he had!!!!!
But wouldn't a heli pilot would likely be the most spatially aware of altitude and altitudinal direction of *anyone* in the air - excluding zeppelins and balloons? It's the most basic element of the entire thing. I would think that only the very most basic of beginners would be susceptible to that. To think that an experienced heli pilot had issues with up-and-down level(alt.) and up-and-down direction (pitch) is really a massive stretch for me. Yes, even in pitch blackness. It's the most fundamental aspect of any. But you make an interesting point. I just struggle to make the leap that someone of the pilot's experience would be susceptible.
SpaXpert I’m not a pilot, but I was driving in a snowstorm the snow resembled Styrofoam balls. The wind was swirling it all around, and I thought to myself this is what they’re talking about. The only reason I knew I wasn’t upside down, Was the fact that my butt was sitting in the seat that I knew was attached to the car whose tires were actually on the ground. I felt like I was floating and spinning.
Thank you SO much for your report! Clear, concise, and very informative! I didn't personally know anyone aboard this flight. But I am terribly hurt by it! Your reports help to give me closure. Thank you.
I agree that he explains things very well. But The Flight Channel has come out with an excellent video too that recreates the trip on a simulator. I highly recommend watching it as an adjunct to this video.
I work Avionics for a very large and well known Helicopter company. When I tell you a 76 is a handful to fly for even 2 pilots in vfr conditions......just imagine how hard it is for a single pilot in ifr conditions. The workload is overload. We don't fly our 76's ifr at all. And our customers insist we fly dual pilots, always, for added safety. Two heads are always better than one. There was no good reason to go iimc. This looks like a classic case of getthereitis, coupled with spatial distortion followed by loss of control.
First time I heard of this incident i knew pilot got spatially disoriented in IMC conditions flying under special VFR. No matter how trained you are, flying in soup basically blind does get you disoriented, without sensational feelings of gravity, orientation or coordination Sorry for lives lost and my deepest condolences to families
@@sean7854 It doesn't take long for special disorientation to kick in. It's no different than when someone looks down to check a text while driving and in that 3 seconds or so loses control and crashes their vehicle. An act as simple as looking down can cause special disorientation. So yes, in just a few seconds you can become disoriented and crash.
Thanks Juan! Appreciate what you're doing for keeping everyone informed. The best way to prevent accidents is to learn from those that happen. Such a tragic series of events.
Juan's comment that he almost made it is referring to breaking out of the clouds and not to the early reports of almost making it by almost clearing the peak which he made some clarification to in his first or second video.
What's the difference? Sorry english is not my language so maybe I dont understand correctly but clearing the peak is the same as after that it would be a safe flight wouldnt it? Thanks!
If he was in a downward spiral due to spatial disorientation he would have hit the ground anyways. There is no way to recover from that at this point. He did not manage to get above the clouds in time, spatial disorientation hit him before he was able to do so, thats why the spiraling downwards .
50 feet lower in altitude msl. He will have to grapple with the fact that he witnessed the last moments and deaths of those people, and knew that their last moments were horrible. Terrible luck.
We used to have to wait a year or more for the FAA report, while at the local airport, everyone knew what happened because they all talked about the technical details. Thank GOD for the Interwebs, now we are like jaw-boning with the guys at the airport who pretty much figured out what must have happened! Thanks Blancoliro, for sharing your world with us! We want to know!
Yes, point taken The report is gonna be really interesting. On top of all the other factors that have been discussed in detail,.I.think.Ara was.star.struck
There are 2 things that are hammered into every student pilot. 1. Trust your instruments 2. Altitude is your friend It seems like the pilot was aware of and attempting to gain altitude but, his mistake was not trusting his instruments. Every aircraft has a roll and bank indicator - a relatively simple instrument that shows the angle of the wings (rotors) relative to the horizon. Trusting that instrument alone will guarantee that you don't enter into an unwanted turn. His altimeter would have provided the information needed to determine whether he was climbing or descending and his air speed indicator would have shown him how fast he was traveling. These are all basic instruments that are in all aircraft. Conclusion - pilot error. And almost unforgivable based on his license ratings.
@@Born_Stellar No offense.. I am having a hard time accepting that a well qualified, recent checkride, 8000 hr CFII, made a pilot error thru an easy-peasy, 1500-2000 ft cloud layer, 4-5 minute, calm wind and air, STRAIGHT CLIMB, 500fpm cyclic climb-out! I am thinking no CFIT, but Medical (heart attack), Mechanical or vacuum gyro failure. I also find it hard to believe Spatial disorientation on a straight 4-5 min climb-out. Also, Why would he have to "fixate" on anything, other than AI and airspeed, in a short 4-5 minute climb? His climb airspeed was 125kts according to ADS-B data.I don't see a need for any autopilot or related issue. I think Juan said AP was not engaged. Anything is possible, but a 1500' cloud layer, calm wind, IMC climb-out is about as easy as it gets for 8000 hr CFII. Just trying to make sense of it all. RIP.
David AviationKnowledgeOrg I would tend to agree that something else happened. But then again that’s a pretty darn long 5 minutes of what was likely all 9 people in certain panic.
@@ryanfick1033 The 5 minutes was referring to the normal, straight 500fpm climb-out. I doubt if passengers were panicked during normal climb thru 1500-2000 ft cloud layer. They were probably panicked after inadvertent and unusual attitude, 4000fpm descending turn to left. According to NTSB and Juan above, what caused the turn is the question?
@@discodave1976 - There was one gentleman who was interviewed who said (based on his accounts), he heard the helicopter in the air, but could not see it; meaning if he was on the ground and due to the marine layer fog, it's a chance the pilot could not see well in front of him or even below him? Let's not discount we are talking about the fog in an elevated environment, we are not talking about height based off of sea level.
I was flying at that time between Oxnard and Camarillo shooting instrument approaches. I reported tops to Mugu approach at 3,100 on my departure from KCMA. On my last approach of the day into KCMA which occurred right about when they would have arrived I was at 3,000ft with tops no more than 50ft below me. The tops were reported at 2,400ft over in the Burbank area but by the time they got to the pass at Las Virgines the tops would have been slightly higher so I don't think they were "within 100 feet" of breaking out. Lastly, during my last approach into KCMA I momentarily made contact with the 101 freeway at the Conejo Grade and it was socked in. It is also a very narrow pass with hills very close by on either side. No way they would have made it to KCMA VFR. I took photos while I was up that day of some of the peaks just sticking through the cloud layer towards the area of the crash. It was a bad time for VFR but a beautiful day above the layer.
Daniel Reyna This guy is good but, it’s nice to hear the perspective of a Southern Californian pilot such as yourself. While you were in the air that morning, I was on the road.
You confirmed my exact thoughts that the tops were likely not consistent at 2400' as they were well behind them in the valley. Typically different orographic conditions once you get into the climbing terrain in those hills and valleys that ultimately divide the "valley" from the ocean and marine environment conditions that persist to the west, & SW near Camarillo/ Oxnard.
@@raoulcruz4404, bases were reported at 1,500 and I estimated visibility at a mile and a half on the ground. Climbing out, by 500ft, the visibility dropped to about 1/2 mi, at most. By 800ft, you could only see the ground below an angle of about 45 degrees from the horizontal. By 1,000 I was solid IMC.
Hey JB, thanks for sticking with this incident and keeping us updated with visual aids. Looking forward to your continued updates on this issue. Take care and God bless. Have my ears on for an update on your paperwork on getting back to work. 👍🏼🙏✌
Great. It will be confusing at first. I got my written out of the way early. I read a book about half way through my training about a guy who flew a typical single pilot IFR flight including managing the radios and what to expect two moves ahead of time. One day it came together in an Ah Ha moment. At each Vor, it's turn, time, twist, throttle, talk. Each as needed.
Juan, excellent update as always !! Love the channel. Can you add to your list to do to your thought on the Cirrus N4252G that Tragic accident at Hobby Airport in 2016 ? Lots of finger pointing on that one and I go back and forth myself on whos at fault.
Thanks again Capt. Juan for all your insight and experience...there are so many helpful videos on RU-vid for non-pilot viewers to help them understand the extreme difficulty of coping with Spatial Disorientation in heavy fog or clouds...and how our body systems can work to actually fool us...
Thank you so much for these videos. Aviation isn’t my forte at all but I always get curious when tragic events like this happen. After going down the RU-vid worm hole I stumbled upon your videos about this crash. Really well done sir.
Thanks for these videos, very informative. What a sad situation, this report built upon what we had already thought and makes it even more heartbreaking.
The new information makes me scratch my head even further. It appears that the tools needed to perform the function of getting on top were available. So were they just not being used? Just a quick 'feel it out' to punch through the clouds without realizing you're rolling to the left? It's wild what a handful of seconds of disorientation can result in. So sad. Such an unnecessary loss. Thanks Juan for the work you put into your channel! It's great to have reliable and unbiased information when looking at data. Keep up the good work!
@Elite Soulfly lmao! 😅 You're talking about a situation that's stressful to the most experienced helicopter pilots... And you think he's worried about kids getting a view of someone's house? This isn't E! 👀
Great reporting. Thank u. Thinking of Kobe n his beautiful family heavily at the moment. God bless every precious soul on board.. . God bless basketball God bless us all.
He almost got there....very sad. But what explains the sharp left turn and the high rate of decent? Why didn't the pilot still follow the highway? Why would he lose control? Why the high rate of speed in basically a dive-like maneuver? I thought the pilot had the experience and training for this exact circumstance. Puzzling, many questions. This coming from a non-aviator. I'm aware of spatial disorientation and have experienced it in a non-flying event. I know it could have played a main role in this tragedy.
I'm wondering that too possibly a control jam or computer malfunction. There was a chinook crash in 1994 Ireland where the chopper had been turned sideways and was tilting. However this was due to 2 issues one of which grounded all at the time after a flawed fcu programming was found. It could cause one engine to rev up and lift, this was software. However there was also a mechanical jam that could occur in the controls. This flight experienced both at the same time. They found the odd angle of impact was due to swinging the tail out attempting to buy time to recover.
@SSIIPP Very possible, but that would more likely be the case with a less experienced, less trained pilot. He just took some extra training that was somewhat similar in nature. Pilot error perhaps, but maybe combined with electronics failure is what I'm leaning towards, even though the equipment had a recent inspection.
Thank you so much for this very informative report! It definitely clarified my suspicions of "Pilot Error"...without intention...just bad judgment!😢 May they all RIP 😇😇😇😇😇😇😇😇😇
Man I miss flying..thank you for your time sir..it was as all. A tragic. Event....I've flew over some of the craziest terrain..rocky mountains..Alaska. Bush drops..first and foremost fly the craft...thanks again.
Somewhere in these answers is a post from a pilot who was actually flying that day. Burbank tops were at 2400 feet but he says the tops were higher to the west. So perhaps they weren't as close.
This latest detail....especially with the ATC communications and ADS-B data (I know it’s not new, but some of it was to me even though I’ve been fallowing this closely) really sheds some new light and paints a much better picture. I hadn’t heard ALL of this data until now. Once again, great video and thanks for sharing Juan...your the man.
Thank you, you explanation was simplystic enough for to understand and yet even sadder to me because I know know just how close they came to avoiding the crash..
Juan starting to think you’re a bit of an insomniac.. thanks for all your hard work and keeping us updated it’s very well appreciated.. what makes this even more sad like you said is how damn close they were.
Juan, thank you for the updates on the Kobe accident. The tragedy has affected me in ways I would have never imagined (I have nightmares about it). Years ago my girlfriend who was a ballet teacher, in Irvine California had two of Kobe's daughters in her class (including GiGi). Also I used to work out at the same gym where Kobe did. I never actually met him (I didn't want to disturb him, figuring so many people would want to say hi etc.) or spoke to him but I saw him there and for some reason I felt a connection. I think I might have a little bit of additional information to shed on the incident. I am currently 70 years of age and in my early 20s I flew out of Van Nuys Airport at Golden West skyways, part 135 air taxi. I have intimate understanding of the dynamics of that environment, that could shed some light on what happened that dreadful day. Pilots flying part 135/air taxi have a very different dynamic then pilots flying part 121 regularly scheduled airlines. When flying part 135 air taxi, you want to get paid generally when you fly. Secondly, your passengers are not strangers (like in part 121) but generally their people you know. You get a lot of repeat business, and you want to please them and get them to their destination expediently and safely. Unfortunately there is an enormous amount of pressure (or at least during my day) to push the envelope. If conditions were marginal, and you set I'm not going to take the flight, there's always somebody there right behind you that will say okay I'll do it. I know myself that I have suscumbed to this pressure on occasion back then. What I really don't understand from the reports, is that the pilot, Ara, who according to the information I have was very experience north of 8000 hours, and not only instrument rated but instrument instructor etc. etc. Why did he choose to go VFR under the deck and then special VFR when conditions got marginal? I have read reports that I don't believe or understand, that the aircraft/chopper was not certified for IFR. Additionally I also heard reports that the charter company was not certified to fly IFR. I have never heard of such a thing! And to think that a helicopter that Kobe was in would not be certified IFR sounds ludicrous to me. Be that as it may, I put myself in Ara's position, (assuming that conditions were deteriorating, I want to get my clients to their destination with the least amount of delay as possible, I would've thought, okay I'll just bust through the clouds and get on top). I know the area and at that altitude it's highly highly unlikely that someone would be flying IFR in that area that I might collide with. So I believe that Ara made that choice. It is unbelievably hard to accept that he was within 100 feet of busting through the clouds and having complete clear visibility. You and I know as experienced pilots that someone of Ara's ratings and experience would highly unlikely get vertigo or experience disorientation and consequently make a steep left descending turn into the ground. Therefore, I believe that as Ara was climbing out that something happened to distract him from flying the aircraft (perhaps someone in the cabin had tapped him on the shoulder, wanted to ask a question, and Ara lost sight of the artificial horizon for a moment. Or perhaps he had something on his lap, that was important, and it slid off onto the floor of the chopper, and he bent down to retrieve it). In any case I still don't understand, if the aircraft was certified IFR and the charter company was certified IFR, why Ara just didn't ask for a IFR to VFR on top (from Orange County) and then as he comes into Camarillo, simply ask for an IFR approach. I know back when I was flying, just simply going under the clouds would have been faster. But today with GPS and considering the enormous amount of traffic in the LA basin, my guess is heading out from orange county over the ocean and heading straight for Camarillo would have been just as quick! I believe I've will be haunted with these questions for as long as I live. But, unfortunately what is done is done. We can't change it, which makes me so so sad. Thanks Juan, Tom Scott
When your flying in marginal conditions like this, pilots should have the next two steps planned. He could do a 180 while still VFR. If you plan to fly into clouds know your plan of escape ahead of time. IPAD would show his position using Foreflight. Cruise speed was too fast for those conditions. It's usually not just one error but a string of errors adding up, that got him to the hillside
He had much better instruments on board than Foreflight is and more apropriate for task. But it is very easy to lose control and when this happen it is not easy to recover if you dont see horizon and you are only at instruments. Consider spatial disorientation and you can imagine how difficult it can be. This things progress very fast and at some point there isnt solution, if you overspeed Vne your craft disintegrate in the air...
Yeah I'm surprised he didn't (presumably) have the iPad given the conditions. In hindsight it's easy to see, but that's why they call em accidents I guess. Still, I can't help but think the pilot took some chances he wouldn't normally have taken if he didn't have 8 passengers with him. Whenever you're a pilot and anticipate trouble, getting on the ground safely should ALWAYS be your first and only priority. I'm sure Kobe and the passengers would've been disappointed, but would've understood had he chosen a less convenient path. RIP 💜💛💔
Thanks again for the professional input, Juan. Although at times unavoidably technical in nature, I believe that you perform a vital service for the traveling public and the aviation industry alike.
Thanks again Juan. I hope you don't mind but I send your reports to my nonpilot friends. You're ability to simply things so others can understand is great. You can dumb it down well (glowing praise). Seriously, it's easier to comprehend things because you explain it. If I understand it anyone can. My IQ is just below the Forrest Gump line. It cuts down the time trying to explain things over the phone and answers many of their questions. It really is praise and many of us appreciate what you do. Definitely one of the best online.
*Thank you so much for sharing this & helping along the way, for us who don't speak air language. It's so helpful!* I think there's a lot of people like myself who just want the question: Why did this happen? answered. So, we're watching as much as we can, so maybe we'll understand. It's amazing how much I've learned about codes/rules/regulations/safety/procedures while flying, over this past couple weeks~ thanks to you & a few others. It's so appreciated!! My initial thought during the first few days after the accident & pairing it with tons of hours watching his flight plan, listening to communications with the ATC's & getting some rough estimates was that he wanted to get the S-VFR (as he was getting a little nervous) & when that last ATC told him he needed to get within the perimeters required, he started to climb.. but, once he got into the "soup" (as you call it), he immediately got disoriented & panicked, trying to get back down below the clouds, where he at least could see the ground. I thought he was doing the sharp turn while trying to get visual contact, because he looked at his flight path on some device & noticed he had flown too far from the freeway. I assumed since he has probably taken that route several times before to the Mamba Facility & he knew there were mountains that the freeways went in between, he was just in a full panic! Being that he's very experienced, I'm sure his instinct was to get back down where he could see. I don't know if that makes sense.. but, I promise. I do have a theory! LOL!! I'd love to hear yours. Even though, it may not be a good idea for someone who's in the industry, to share assumptions publicly~ Out of respect for one another. Like a "no talking to Laymen before the final report is issued, but talk amongst the community is Ok" kind of rule. If that's correct, I totally understand! *Again, I appreciate all you've done to help us Normies, understand WHY! xo's*
Juan: Blessing's be upon you're every ''Professional & Reverently Endeavored Truth Pursuits.'' Both the Survivor Family's & the Pilots who are currently flying, ''Depend Upon'' such thoughtful thoroughness. -Former 11b4p 82nd Abn. ...tTt...
Sounds to me like he anticipated the top of the clouds, left the instruments and started looking through the windshield which set up spatial disorientation resulting in a descending turn to the left.
After having to trade seats with a non-pilot in the right seat at night in a Piper Cherokee so I could land the plane, I vowed to never let that happen again. He was flying as a single pilot and I'll bet whoever was in the left seat (it being a helicopter) wasn't a pilot who would have recognized any signs of something going wrong.
From my previous comment elsewhere: My initial assessment (from day one, based on early photos of the scene) was that the aircraft came in (at least in transition to) inverted. (though at first I thought the inversion may have been due to a minor preceding CFIT impact) You can see how close the simulation (linked below) comes to showing that attitude. Because, if you were descending in low-visibility conditions in that terrain, it would make no sense to descend rapidly. Seems more likely that he was trying to climb, became disoriented, then transitioned to partial if not complete inversion. Viola! You are now descending rapidly, rolling towards inverted, trying to maintain positive g-force in the seat. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-BCLNJLjitSs.html
I love watching your channel. I'm from Thousand Oaks where Kobe's Academy is. I was born in the valley and raised in Thousand Oaks so I'm very familiar with the area. The fog is wicked when it rolls in and it's basically impossible to even see the roads. This is just so sad. Oh, and Las Virgenes Rd. is pronounced Las Virgin-es. 😊
