The helicopter crash that killed Kobe Bryant, his daughter and 7 other people, including 3 children has led to the company that owned the helicopter to suspend all their flights, as the ‘shock affected all staff’. The investigation into the crash has also uncovered that it did not contain a few features that were recommended for use - one recommended over 14 years ago.
Of the three features that were not in use in the helicopter, the first one was TAWS, which alerts pilots that they might hit land. However, it's not clear whether TAWS would have helped to prevent the helicopter from crashing since the cause of the crash is still currently unknown at this time. The second missing feature was that it also lacked a cockpit voice recorder, and the third a flight data recorder - both of which make up what we know as the black box in a vehicle. This makes it harder for the investigators to find the cause of the incident - as they will not have the help of a black box.
The cause of the crash is still a mystery, with the pilot being an experienced and certified flyer, who used the helicopter regularly, which makes it unlikely it was the pilot’s fault. Investigators are exploring several possible causes of the crash, including mechanical failure, and questions remain about what went wrong for an experienced pilot who had frequently flown similar routes in Southern California. However, the aircraft was not permitted to fly in the poor visibility of the fog, which could possibly be a cause - unable to see, and without any systems like TAWS to warn the pilot. This investigation could possibly go on for weeks, months, or much longer due to the fact that there are no recordings to help, leaving investigators to find the cause purely from debris and external research.
