(Los Angeles, CA) — The widow of Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant says she supports a bill being reintroduced in Congress that would require terrain warning systems in helicopters. The basketball superstar, his daughter and several others died on January 26th, 2020 when their helicopter crashed into a Los Angeles hillside in foggy conditions. The National Transportation Safety Board has long pressed for so-called Terrain Awareness and Warning Systems. However, the Federal Aviation Administration has not generally required them in helicopters.
The legislation to require those systems is authored by two California Democrats, Congressman Brad Sherman of Los Angeles and Senator Dianne Feinstein. The bill also calls for flight data recorders, which are typically required in commercial airplanes but not in helicopters. In a written statement, Vanessa Bryant urges Congress to pass the “Kobe and Gianna Bryant Helicopter Safety Act.” She says her husband and daughter might be alive today “if their helicopter had been equipped with the safety equipment required by this pending federal legislation.”
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