Kobe Bryant's pilot had special permission to fly before crash. Here's what else we know

As investigators scour for clues in the helicopter crash that killed nine people, including NBA legend Kobe Bryant, the pilot's last words with air traffic control illustrate a foggy scene in the sky.

Pilot Ara Zobayan said he was climbing to avoid a cloud layer, The National Transportation Safety Board said. But when air traffic control asked him what he planned to do, there was no response, NTSB board member Jennifer Homendy said.
Visibility was so low Sunday that the Los Angeles Police Department had decided to ground its helicopters that morning.
But it's still not certain what caused the helicopter to crash, killing parents, children, and one of the greatest athletes of all time.
Bryant, 41, and his daughter Gianna, 13, were heading to a basketball game in Thousand Oaks, where he was expected to coach and she was expected to play.
All eight passengers killed in the crash were children or parents. They included two of Gianna's teammates with their parents and an assistant girls basketball coach. The pilot, Zobayan, was also killed.

Helicopter was flying with special permission

Investigators believe the helicopter was flying under visual flight rules from John Wayne Airport in Orange County to just southeast of Burbank Airport, Homendy said.
An SVFR clearance allows a pilot to fly in weather conditions worse than those allowed for regular visual flight rules (VFR).
Pilots can request the clearance before takeoff or during the flight if weather conditions suddenly change, CNN transportation analyst Peter Goelz said. SVFR clearance is "pretty normal," Goelz said, but "it's not something that's often recommended."
The helicopter circled for 12 minutes until air traffic control approved SVFR clearance, Homendy said.
When the pilot flew into the Burbank and Van Nuys airspace at 1,400 feet, heading south and then west, he requested radar assistance to avoid traffic, Homendy said. But air traffic control said the helicopter was too low to provide that assistance.
Zobayan said he was going to climb higher, and air traffic controllers responded. But they never heard back. Radar data indicated the helicopter climbed 2,300 feet and began a left descending turn, she said.
The last radar contact was around 9:45 a.m. Sunday, Homendy said.

Pilot had thousands of hours of flight time

Zobayan was experienced and had 8,200 hours of flight time as of July 2019, Homendy said.
He had been working with Island Express Helicopters, which owned and operated the Sikorsky S-76B.

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