local time, the helicopter they were in crashed in foggy conditions near Calabasas, Calif., northwest of Los Angeles. TOM GOLDMAN, BYLINE: Kobe Bryant, his teenage daughter Gianna - nicknamed Gigi - and seven others were on their way to a youth basketball game Sunday morning. But his fans are focused on his legacy as a five-time NBA champion and an 18-time All-Star. In 2003, he was charged with sexual assault, a case that was eventually dropped. Bryant was 41 years old, just a few years past his retirement from basketball. Yesterday, in California, Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter were among nine people who died in a helicopter crash. In the meantime, extract what lessons we all can learn.The sports world is coming to grips with the death of a basketball icon. The NTSB has already started their comprehensive investigation (as with the Hudson River Liberty crash last year) and will have more details in a year or so. These operations have a phenomenal safety record, but we donвЂ™t hear about the millions of flights a year that operate safely. It also damages the credibility of general aviation and helicopters. The crash is an unfathomable tragedy for the families involved. ItвЂ™s possible the NTSB findings will reveal a completely different cause for the accidentвЂ¦but its also unlikely they will. But it only takes one lapse in judgment, on one flight.

By all accounts, he was an exceptional pilot. This flight, under these conditions, was extraordinarily demanding for a single pilot.ДЇortunately, most pilots are aware of these issues, IвЂ™m sure this pilot was. 5) Flights, conditions and decisions must be assessed differently when you operate single-pilot. 4) Fog, and in particular coastal fog is highly unpredictable and can move in dense waves. Lights from cars, houses, other sources have a subliminal disorienting effect that creates false horizons, difficult to recognize until its too late. 3) Reduced visibility in hilly terrain is especially treacherous. The consequences of which are exacerbated by proximity to the ground and reduced time-to-impact. This hybrid arena lends itself to visual illusions and spatial disorientation.

2) The nether land between kind-of flying on instruments and kind-of flying via visual reference is far more challenging than just flying on instruments. A third of these accidents happen to experienced, ifr-rated pilots. 1) Flying vfr into imc conditions is dangerous, regardless of your experience and ratings. The tragic helicopter crash claiming the lives of Kobe Bryant and 8 others reinforces some sober learning for all pilots, regardless of the NTSBвЂ™s findings. вЂ¦and from Richard McSpadden at the Aviation Safety Institute (posted on FaceBook and reprinted here with permission): No one wants to rush to judgment but here are a few ideas and comments:Д¬lick for Plane and Pilot commentary Click for Flying Magazine commentary As aviation educators, we must maintain high standards of excellence and rigorously train these important skills to keep all our aviators safe. Fortunately, if you examine the whole of aviation, it is remarkably safe. These sad events are always a wake-up call for all pilots to sharpen our risk management skills and keep our instrument skills sharp in case they are suddenly needed. There are the usual crazy conspiracy theories all over the internet, but here are a few cogent thoughts from aviators. We all were shocked and saddened this week by the tragic helicopter crash in California that claimed the lives of 9 people including charismatic basketball star Kobe Bryant and his 13-year old daughter.

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