Helicopter pilot in bryant crash had faa violation in 2015

You're referring to the helicopter crash that killed Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna, and seven others on January 26, 2020.

According to reports, the helicopter pilot, Ara Zobayan, had a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) violation in 2015. The violation was related to a "pilot deviation" from the minimum safe altitude while flying in instrument meteorological conditions (IMC).

In 2015, Zobayan was flying a helicopter for Island Express Helicopters, the same company he was working for when the fatal crash occurred. At the time, he was flying a Bell 206B helicopter, which is a single-engine, six-seat helicopter.

The FAA violation was reportedly related to a flight on August 8, 2015, when Zobayan flew the helicopter at an altitude of 1,500 feet (457 meters) in instrument meteorological conditions (IMC), which is below the minimum safe altitude of 2,000 feet (610 meters) for that type of flight.

The FAA issued Zobayan a "pilot deviation" violation, which is a less severe violation than a "pilot error" violation. The violation was reportedly related to Zobayan's failure to maintain the minimum safe altitude while flying in IMC conditions.

It's worth noting that the FAA violation was not related to the cause of the 2020 helicopter crash, which is still under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). The NTSB has not yet released its final report on the crash, but preliminary findings suggest that Zobayan became disoriented in foggy conditions and lost control of the helicopter.

It's also important to note that the FAA violation in 2015 was not a major red flag for Zobayan's flying abilities, and he had a clean record with the FAA until the fatal crash.