Kobe Bryant Death: Vanessa Bryant Takes BIG Step To Honor Kobe
Vanessa Bryant has emerged as strong as ever and is continuing to seek justice over the tragic death of her husband and NBA legend Kobe Bryant and their 13-year-old daughter Gigi.
Now, the 38-year-old widow is urging the U.S. congress to support a new helicopter safety bill following the death of Kobe and Gianna along with seven other passengers who perished in a helicopter crash in the hillside of California in January.
"I strongly urge that the United States Congress pass a federal law that would improve the safety of helicopters operating in this country," Bryant mentioned in a statement.
The mother-of-four also pointed out that there's a possibility that her husband and daughter "would still be alive today" if the aircraft had complied with safety protocols.
"I believe there is a chance that Kobe and Gianna would still be alive today if their helicopter had been equipped with the safety equipment required by this pending federal legislation," Vanessa furthered in her statement.
Earlier this week, California Congressman Brad Sherman revised and introduced the "Kobe and Gianna Bryant Helicopter Safety Act" that would require "all helicopters certified to carry six or more people to be equipped with a Terrain Awareness and Warning System, a flight data recorder and a cockpit voice recorder," per CNN.
Vanessa Bryant "Deeply Moved" By The Congress' Safety Regulation
The former model revered that she was "deeply moved" after learning that the new regulation was named after the Black Mamba and Gigi.
Bryant also pointed out that it's "unfortunate" there are guidelines that are being neglected and not put in place to protect aircraft passengers.
Originally, Sherman drafted the safety act four days after the death of the basketball superstar.
Helicopter Pilot Ara Zobayan "Disoriented" During Flight
The new safety regulation came after federal investigators released an updated report stating that the pilot, Ara Zobayan, may have been "disoriented" due to the foggy weather condition at that time, according to Associated Press.
Furthermore, the National Transportation Safety Board even cited in their reports that the 50-year-old pilot may have probably "misperceived" the angles at which he was moving downwards and banking.
"Calculated apparent angles at this time show that the pilot could have misperceived both pitch and roll angles," one report stated. "During the final descent the pilot, responding to (air traffic control), stated that they were climbing to four thousand."
A text message from Zobayan was brought up in the ongoing investigation, telling air traffic controllers that he was ascending to 4,000 feet. In reality, however, authorities think he was plummeting to the ground before hitting the hillside of Calabasas in a "high-energy impact crash" at a rate of about 23 miles per hour.
Aside from Bryant and the aircraft pilot, Gigi's teammates and their families were also killed in the crash. It includes Payton Chester, 13; Sarah Chester, 45; Alyssa Altobelli, 14; Keri Altobelli, 46; John Altobelli, 56, and Christina Mauser, 38.
