Kobe Bryant death: Friends of helicopter pilot say he was 'professional and calculated' amid questions around cause of crash

Friends of the pilot involved in a deadly helicopter crash that killed all nine people on board, including Kobe Bryant and his daughter, Gianna, have described him as a highly-respected member of the aviation community.

Tributes from fellow aviators to the late Ara Zobayan were posted online after it was confirmed the 50-year-old pilot was flying Bryant’s Sikorsky S-76 when it crashed in Calabasas, California on Sunday afternoon. Bryant had boarded the helicopter with his 13-year-old daughter, as well as a beloved college baseball coach and six others.

Mr Zobayan, who was licensed to fly in fog and received special clearances to pilot Bryant’s helicopter during the weekend despite poor weather conditions, had served as a certified flight instructor for at least two years before his passing.

“Ara was an incredible pilot, instructor pilot, charter pilot and truly a great man,” Jared Yochim, who described himself as a friend of Mr Zobayan, wrote in a Facebook post featuring a photo of the pair from a recent birthday party.

“He was not your typical egotistical helicopter pilot like most of us honestly are,” the post continued. “Ara was a man that remained cool, calm and collected. As more people that knew Ara open up about him, you’ll only hear words like professional, calculated and loving. He was always good for a laugh.”

Mr Yochim added: “The loss is not mine, but a community really. Ara impacted so many people and only in a positive way.”

The friend also said in a comment that Mr Zobayan was “one guy you’d NEVER think you’d get the call about”, suggested he was a talented pilot who was not known to make mistakes, as has been previously reported.

Christina Pascucci, a reporter for KTLA in California and licensed pilot, said in a tweet that Mr Zobayan was “very much loved in the aviation community” in a tweet.

She also said that friends who identified Mr Zobayan wrote him a final message, which read: “Rest easy as you take your final flight to heaven.”

The helicopter took off for its Southern California flight shortly after 9am local time, according to audio recordings. Local flights had been grounded by the Los Angeles police department’s Air Support Division due to foggy weather and low visibility conditions.

Josh Rubenstein, spokesperson for the LAPD, said the fog that morning “was enough that we were not flying” in a statement to CBS News.

It remained unclear as of Monday afternoon what caused the fatal crash.

The National Transportation Safety Board has announced an investigation, with board member Jennifer Homendy telling the New York Times: “We’ll be looking at maintenance records of the helicopter.”

“We will be looking at records of the owner and operator of the helicopter,” she added, “and a number of other things.”