Kobe Bryant crash: NTSB blames spatial disorientation, calls for better training By Elan Head | February 9, 2021 Estimated reading time 10 minutes, 20 seconds. The helicopter crash that killed basketball legend Kobe Bryant was caused by the pilot’s flight into clouds and ensuing spatial disorientation, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) ruled Tuesday, recommending that the industry study which simulation technologies are most effective in helping pilots recognize the onset of the deadly phenomenon. An overview of the flight path and relevant airspace for the Jan. 26 helicopter flight that carried Kobe Bryant. NTSB Image In a public meeting conducted virtually due to Covid-19, board members determined that the probable cause of last year’s crash involving an Island Express Helicopters Sikorsky S-76B was pilot Ara Zobayan’s “decision to continue flight under visual flight rules [VFR] into instrument meteorological conditions [IMC], which resulted in the pilot’s spatial disorientation and loss of control.”