Kobe Bryant’s widow has agreed to settle a lawsuit against the pilot and owners of the helicopter that crashed last year, killing the NBA star, his daughter, Gianna, and seven others.

“Here is a case where a pilot who is well regarded apparently got into a very bad situation,” Sumwalt said. AdThere were 184 aircraft crashes between 2010-2019 involving spatial disorientation, including 20 fatal helicopter crashes, the NTSB said. Vanessa Bryant has sued Island Express Helicopters Inc., which operated the aircraft, and its owner, Island Express Holding Corp. She said Zobayan was not properly trained or supervised and should have aborted the flight. Island Express Helicopters Inc. denied responsibility and said the crash was “an act of God” that it could not control. Lawyers for Berge Zobayan and Island Express declined to comment on the NTSB findings.

The crash led to widespread public mourning for the retired basketball star and several lawsuits, and prompted state and federal legislation. But NTSB investigator-in-charge Bill English said the system, which was not on the helicopter, would probably not have prevented the crash. Federal lawmakers have sponsored the Kobe Bryant and Gianna Bryant Helicopter Safety Act to mandate the warning systems on all helicopters carrying six or more passengers. AdZobayan’s brother, Berge Zobayan, has said Kobe Bryant knew the risks of flying in a helicopter and that his survivors aren’t entitled to damages from the pilot’s estate. Island Express Helicopters Inc. denied responsibility and said the crash was “an act of God” that it could not control.

Federal safety officials are expected to vote Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2021, on what likely caused the helicopter carrying Kobe Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter and seven others to crash into a Southern California hillside last year, killing all aboard. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, file)LOS ANGELES – In the year since the helicopter carrying Kobe Bryant crashed into a hillside on a foggy morning, killing all nine aboard, there’s been plenty of finger-pointing over the cause of the tragedy. AdFederal lawmakers have sponsored the Kobe Bryant and Gianna Bryant Helicopter Safety Act to mandate the devices on all helicopters carrying six or more passengers. Zobayan’s brother said Kobe Bryant knew the risks of flying in a helicopter and his survivors aren’t entitled to damages from the pilot’s estate. Vanessa Bryant also sued the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, accusing deputies of sharing unauthorized photos of the crash site.

(CNN) -- Text messages in the hours before the helicopter flight that killed NBA legend Kobe Bryant and eight other people show weather conditions were a concern and that the pilot appeared to become disoriented in fog. Before every flight with Bryant, a group text was always created in order to keep everyone in communication about the flights. That group text mentioned weather concerns prior to the flight, but they were dismissed by both the pilot and the flight coordinator. The conversation around weatherRecords show the flight coordinator asked the aircraft pilot, Ara Zobayan, about the forecast one day before the scheduled flight. In the past three years, four Island Express employees were approved to fly a Kobe Inc. charter flight: Zobayan, Garret Dalton, David Harvey and Josh Bagge.

CALABASAS, California – The pilot of the helicopter that crashed in January, killing Kobe Bryant and all eight other people aboard, had no alcohol or drugs in his system that day, according to an autopsy report. Ara Zobayan was piloting the Sikorsky S-76B helicopter on the morning of January 26 when it went down on a hillside in Calabasas, California. Toxicology screens tested for cocaine, methamphetamine, fentanyl, marijuana and alcohol among others, according to reports from the Los Angeles County coroner. Zobayan, 50, was an instrument-certified pilot who earned his commercial pilot's license in 2007, according to the Federal Aviation Administration's pilot certification database. He was a certified flight instructor for instrument instruction for helicopter pilots, the records show.

LOS ANGELES – Family members of four passengers killed in a helicopter crash with Kobe Bryant and his daughter have joined the NBA star's widow in filing wrongful death lawsuits against the companies that owned and operated the aircraft. The suits on behalf of three members of one family, and a woman who helped coach Bryant’s 13-year-old daughter in basketball, were filed electronically Sunday in Los Angeles Superior Court. One suit was filed by two surviving children of Orange Coast College baseball coach John Altobelli and his wife Keri. Zobayan had nearly navigated the helicopter out of blinding clouds when the aircraft suddenly turned and plunged into the mountainside. Also killed in the crash were Sarah Chester and her daughter Payton, who was another of Gianna’s teammates.

LOS ANGELES, Calif. – Kobe Bryant's widow sued the owner and operator of the helicopter that crashed in fog and killed the former Los Angeles Lakers star and their 13-year-old daughter last month as she publicly mourned their deaths Monday in an emotional public ceremony. The lawsuit names Island Express Helicopters Inc., operator of the service, and Island Express Holding Corp., owner of the craft. Calls to Island Express Inc. seeking comment were not answered, and its voicemail was full. The NTSB hasn’t concluded what caused the crash on the outskirts of Los Angeles County but said there was no sign of mechanical failure. Island Express Inc. issued a statement Jan. 30 on its website saying the shock of the crash had prompted it to suspend service until it was appropriate for staff and customers.

The National Basketball Association said Tuesday night's Los Angeles Lakers game versus the Los Angeles Clippers has been postponed following the helicopter crash in California that killed nine people, including NBA legend and former Lakers player Kobe Bryant. The 41-year-old NBA legend died in a helicopter crash under foggy conditions in Calabasas, California. Visibility was so low Sunday morning that Los Angeles police had grounded its helicopters, police department spokesman Josh Rubenstein said. "It's a logistical nightmare in a sense because the crash site itself is not easily accessible," Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva said. We lost our beautiful wife and mom today in a helicopter crash," her husband Matt Mauser wrote on Facebook.