Trauma Hawk equipped with warning system missing on helicopter flying Kobe Bryant, 8 others
Trauma Hawk equipped with warning system missing on helicopter flying Kobe Bryant, 8 others
The helicopter that crashed, killing NBA legend Kobe Bryant, and eight others in California was not equipped with safety technology called a Helicopter Terrain Awareness Warning System, known as H-TAWS
INVESTIGATION INTO THEHELICOPTER CRASH THAT KILLEDN- B-A LEGEND KOBE BRYANT, HIS13-YEAR- OLD DAUGHTER GIANNA,AND SEVEN OTHERS INCALIFORNIATHE NATIONAL TRANSPORTATIONSAFETY BOARD SAYS BRYANT'SLUXURY HELICOPTER WAS NOTEQUIPPED WITH SAFETYTECHNOLOGY CALLED A HELICOPTERTERRAIN AWARENESS WARNINGSYSTEM.
FLIGHT DATA INDICATESTHE CHOPPER DROPPED 350 FEETIN JUST SIX SECONDS, MAKING AQUICK LEFT TURN ANDACCELERATING... SLAMMING INTTHE HILLSIDE AT 176 MILES PEHOUR.ONE LOCAL HELICOPTER PILOTSAYS THAT TERRAIN WARNINGSYSTEM MAKES FLYINGSAFER...EVEN IN A PART OF THCOUNTRY WHERE THE TERRAIN ISFLAT.
BUT IT IS NOT REQUIREDON ALL HELICOPTERS.CONTACT FIVE INVESTIGATOR DAVEBOHMAN GOT A FIRST HAND LOOKAT HOW THE DEVICE HELPS WASOME PILOTS OF OBSTACLES INTHEIR PATHS.“THE HEALTH CARE DISTRICT OFPALM BEACH COUNTYHELICOPTERS ARE EQUIPPED WITHTHE DEVICE.
BY LAW, THEY HAVETO BE” ITHELICOPTER TERRAIN AWARENEWARNING SYSTEM OR H-TAWS.“IFTHIS IS ABOVE THE RED, YOU ALESS THAN 100 FEET ABOVE THETERRAIN” IT WARNS PILOTSABOUT THE DANGERS THEY MAY NALWAYS SEE.“ESPECIALLY INDAYS WHEN YOU HAVE REDUCEDVISIBILITY, IT CAN HELP YOU ORAID YOU, IN IDENTIFYINGOBSTACLES” THE HELICOPTERCARRYING KOBE BRYANT AND EIGOTHERS THAT CRASHED SUNDAY INCALIFORNIA, WAS*NO* EQUIPPEDWITH H-TAWS.
IT WAS NOTREQUIRED TO BE.“NATS OFHELICOPE” BUT EVEN INFLORIDA, WHERE THE TERRAIN ISFLAT, TRAUMA HAWK PILOTJOSTEIN LAVOLL SAYS THETERRAIN WARNING SYSTEM HASVALUE.
THE H-TAWS SITS BEHINDTHE FRONT CONSOLE.
IT CANALERT HIM BY SCREEN...OR BYBEEPS TO HAZARDS FROBEACHFRONT HIGH RISES, TCOMMUNICATIONS TOWERS.“IWOULDNCALL, BUT IT HAS GIVEN ME AHEADS UP THAT AN OBSTACLETHERE”“THE TRAUMA HAWKHELICOPTERS WERE EQUIPPED WITHTHE H- TAWS DEVICE ON 2016, AYEAR BEFORE THEY WERE MANDATEDBY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.DAVE BOHMAN, WPTV NEWSCHANNEL5”TO
