Kobe Bryant Helicopter Pilot Got Disoriented in Clouds Before Crash, Federal Officials Say “Spatial disorientation” likely led pilot Ara Zobayan to fly through clouds, violating federal standards, officials saySean Burch | February 9, 2021 @ 8:23 AM Last Updated: February 9, 2021 @ 8:46 AM Photo credit: Getty Images Federal safety officials on Tuesday said the pilot flying Kobe Bryant’s helicopter violated federal standards by flying through clouds, likely making him disoriented right before crashing into a hillside near Calabasas, California. The crash killed Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, and 7 others aboard the helicopter on January 26, 2020. During a virtual meeting on Tuesday, the National Transportation Safety Board said “spatial disorientation” is what likely led to pilot Ara Zobayan crashing. Zobayan was “flying under flight orders, or VFR, which legally prohibit him from penetrating the clouds,” according to NTSB Chairman Robert Sumwalt, but the pilot continued to fly into clouds. The agency last June said Zobayan told air traffic controllers his helicopter was climbing above heavy clouds when it was actually descending rapidly.