Helicopter Co. Says Kobe Bryant Helicopter Didn’t Have Upgraded Tech

photo credit: Debby Wong // Shutterstock

Everyone is looking for a reason as to why the helicopter carrying Kobe & Gianna Bryant, along with 7 other people went down over the weekend.

The helicopter manufacturer, Sikorsky, claims the specific model that Kobe had was an S-76B, built in 1991, which was not equip with the Terrain Awareness and Warning System (TAWS), was still an optional feature at that time. It became a mandatory feature in 2005. The helicopter was also without a cockpit voice or flight date recorder (a black box), because, once again, they were not deemed mandatory until 2012.

According to TMZ,sources familiar with Sikorsky say the company frequently reached out to customers of older S-76 models and urged them to implement new safety measures like TAWS.Sikorsky says it’s deeply saddened by the Kobe tragedy and is “actively supporting the NTSB investigation,” adding, “Safety is our top priority. If there are any actionable findings from the investigation, we will immediately inform our S-76 customers.”

Written by Clarke Jones

Source: TMZ

Helicopter Co. Says Kobe Bryant Helicopter Didn’t Have Upgraded Tech

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