Ara Zobayan, 50, was the pilot of a private helicopter which slammed into a hillside in Calabasas, California on the morning of January 26, 2020, killing all on board.
The helicopter carrying eight passengers, including NBA great Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna, crashed within seconds of being heard overhead by locals. Approximately 40 minutes earlier the helicopter piloted by Zobayan departed from the John Wayne Airport in Orange County. The aircraft, carrying a total of nine people, was set to arrive at Bryant's Mamba Sports Academy in Newbury Park for a scheduled game, according to ESPN.
During a press conference held the day after the accident, National Transportation Safety Board member Jennifer Homendy shared that the pilot attempted to fly higher to avoid a cloud layer shortly before crashing.
According to Homendy the helicopter circled for 12 minutes until the special VFR was approved by Air Traffic Control. Special VFR is an air traffic control authorization that allows an aircraft to proceed through controlled airspace at less than the basic VFR minimums of 1,000 ft. ceiling and three miles visibility, Homendy explained.
Zobayan was certified to fly commercial helicopters and had no record of accidents, incidents or enforcement actions with the FAA.
A Federal Aviation Administration aircraft-registration database showed that the helicopter was a 1991 Sikorsky S-76B model owned by a company named Island Express Holding Corp. It was previously owned by the state of Illinois, according to the database.
The helicopter was registered to Island Express Helicopters of Fillmore, California.
Zobayan was the chief pilot for the charter service and had more than 8,200 hours of flight time. He was additionally certified to fly solely using instruments — a more difficult rating to attain that allows pilots to fly at night and through clouds.
According to the National Transportation Safety Board database, the helicopter involved in the crash was not previously involved in any incidents.
The helicopter manufacturer, Sikorsky, a subsidiary of military contractor Lockheed Martin, wrote in a tweet that the company intended to cooperate with the NTSB investigation. "We extend our sincerest condolences to all those affected by today's Sikorsky S-76B accident in Calabasas, California. We have been in contact with the NTSB and stand ready to provide assistance and support to the investigative authorities and our customer," the company wrote. "Safety is our top priority; if there are any actionable findings from the investigation, we will inform our S-76 customers."
In early February the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) released an "investigative update" on the crash.
The report covered what has been pieced together about Island Express Helicopters pilot Ara Zobayan's flight through the foggy conditions that day. It's likely to take a year for authorities to fully conclude what happened.
Radar indicates the helicopter only ascended to 2,300 feet above mean sea level (msl) before veering left and descending to the fatal crash.
The National Weather Service had analyzed an NTSB photo to find the top of the cloud layer the helicopter had been traveling through was at about 2,400 feet msl. About 100 feet had been between the helicopter and the cloud surface.
Air safety consultant Kipp Lau told the Associated Press that had the helicopter continued to ascend, assuming it was traveling at 500 feet per minute, the craft could have broken through the cloud surface in just 12 more seconds.
But Zobayan broke from the path at that point, turning left before descending at 4,000 feet per minute at a speed of 160 knots, a little over 180 mph.
"If you exit the bottom of the clouds at 4,000 feet per minute at that high speed, you've certainly lost control of the aircraft," Lau said.
A witness on the mountain bike trail near the crash told the NTSB that the area had been surrounded by mist when he began to hear the sound of a helicopter. The sound grew louder for the witness before he caught sight of "a blue and white helicopter emerge from the clouds passing from left to right directly to his left," according to the report. The craft then rolled to the left, far enough for him to see the belly of the helicopter. About two seconds later, it crashed into the hillside.
Helicopter pilot Mike Sagely told the AP that the path of the helicopter suggests Zobayan had started to execute a maneuver to designed to move above the clouds by flying up and forward. However, he added that when pilots deviated from the pop-up maneuver to instead turn, "probably in the neighborhood of 80 to 90% of the time, it's catastrophic."
The report says Zobayan's most recent flight review, from May 2019, included "proficiency training in inadvertent entry into instrument meteorological conditions (IIMC) and unusual attitude recovery."
Gary Johnson, the Vice-President of ACE Clearwater, knew Zobayan well. ACE Clearwater manufactures airplane parts and Johnson bsaid he would not want to fly with anyone else.
"He was born to be a pilot and I think there's this weird irony that he died doing what he loved," Johnson told Los Angeles' FOX 11.
"He was the man. He was a pilot's pilot. He's one of the few people who I would trust my life, my family's life, my dog's life too...very conscientious, awesome pilot."
Reality TV star and cosmetics businesswoman Kylie Jenner revealed on her Instagram Story that she had a personal connection with the aircraft's late pilot.
"That was the helicopter I would fly on from time to time with that pilot, Ara. He was such a nice man. Hold your loved ones close," she wrote, adding a white heart emoji.
Margaret Bray flew with Zobayan often to and from her restaurant, Maggie's Blue Rose, on the island off the coast of Los Angeles.
"He always had this big smile, this infectious smile," Bray told the Associated Press.
Zobayan would often take his lunch breaks at her restaurant and told her about a recent trip to Spain. Bray, who like Zobayan is of Armenian descent, said she'd tease him when she saw him on TV as part of Bryant's "entourage."
"I think Kobe and him had this friendship," she said. "It wasn't like pilot and customer."
Zobayan worked for Group 3 Aviation, which said in a statement that he came to the company in 1998 to learn how to fly helicopters after being captivated during a sightseeing flight at the Grand Canyon.
"Ara worked hard in other businesses to save enough money to pay for training. Flying was his life's passion," owners Peter and Claudia Lowry said in the statement. The owners said they were heartbroken over Zobayan's death.
Born in Lebanon in 1970, a teenage Zobayan by chance sat next to a helicopter mechanic on the flight taking him to the United States.
The mechanic lent Zobayan a helicopter magazine, which the youth devoured for the remainder of the flight, said Chuck Street, executive director of the Los Angeles Area Helicopter Operators Association.
When he had saved enough money, he took that fateful helicopter tour of the Grand Canyon.
"After that experience, he became laser-focused on becoming a helicopter pilot," Street said.
In September, soap opera actor and pilot Lorenza Lamas posted a picture with a helicopter bearing the same N-number, or a registration number given to aircraft, as the one that crashed Sunday with the caption, "Sun setting on another glorious day. Life is a mirror and will reflect back to the thinker what he thinks into it - Ernest Holmes." Lamas also appeared to tweet that he was safe after the crash, before the post in question was deleted. He did not immediately respond to reporters requests for comment.
On January 23, Lamas tweeted another picture of a helicopter, this one captioned, "Pilot Life. Catalina Island." The former soap star was apparently referencing a popular tourist destination off the coast of Los Angeles, with whom Island Express Holding Corporation has contracted to conduct helicopter tours since 1982, according to archived images from their website.
In July 2013, Ara Zoboyan was featured on Lorenzo Lamas' episode of "Celebrity Wife Swap" alongside comedian Andy Dick. A Facebook post from Lamas at the time read, "Tune in to ABC this Sunday 8pm to see Ara and me fly Andy Dick's baby momma around on 'Celebrity Wife Swap' lol."
The helicopter carrying eight passengers, including NBA great Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna, crashed within seconds of being heard overhead by locals. Approximately 40 minutes earlier the helicopter piloted by Zobayan departed from the John Wayne Airport in Orange County. The aircraft, carrying a total of nine people, was set to arrive at Bryant's Mamba Sports Academy in Newbury Park for a scheduled game, according to ESPN.
During a press conference held the day after the accident, National Transportation Safety Board member Jennifer Homendy shared that the pilot attempted to fly higher to avoid a cloud layer shortly before crashing.
According to Homendy the helicopter circled for 12 minutes until the special VFR was approved by Air Traffic Control. Special VFR is an air traffic control authorization that allows an aircraft to proceed through controlled airspace at less than the basic VFR minimums of 1,000 ft. ceiling and three miles visibility, Homendy explained.
Zobayan was certified to fly commercial helicopters and had no record of accidents, incidents or enforcement actions with the FAA.
A Federal Aviation Administration aircraft-registration database showed that the helicopter was a 1991 Sikorsky S-76B model owned by a company named Island Express Holding Corp. It was previously owned by the state of Illinois, according to the database.
The helicopter was registered to Island Express Helicopters of Fillmore, California.
Zobayan was the chief pilot for the charter service and had more than 8,200 hours of flight time. He was additionally certified to fly solely using instruments — a more difficult rating to attain that allows pilots to fly at night and through clouds.
According to the National Transportation Safety Board database, the helicopter involved in the crash was not previously involved in any incidents.
The helicopter manufacturer, Sikorsky, a subsidiary of military contractor Lockheed Martin, wrote in a tweet that the company intended to cooperate with the NTSB investigation. "We extend our sincerest condolences to all those affected by today's Sikorsky S-76B accident in Calabasas, California. We have been in contact with the NTSB and stand ready to provide assistance and support to the investigative authorities and our customer," the company wrote. "Safety is our top priority; if there are any actionable findings from the investigation, we will inform our S-76 customers."
In early February the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) released an "investigative update" on the crash.
The report covered what has been pieced together about Island Express Helicopters pilot Ara Zobayan's flight through the foggy conditions that day. It's likely to take a year for authorities to fully conclude what happened.
Radar indicates the helicopter only ascended to 2,300 feet above mean sea level (msl) before veering left and descending to the fatal crash.
The National Weather Service had analyzed an NTSB photo to find the top of the cloud layer the helicopter had been traveling through was at about 2,400 feet msl. About 100 feet had been between the helicopter and the cloud surface.
Air safety consultant Kipp Lau told the Associated Press that had the helicopter continued to ascend, assuming it was traveling at 500 feet per minute, the craft could have broken through the cloud surface in just 12 more seconds.
But Zobayan broke from the path at that point, turning left before descending at 4,000 feet per minute at a speed of 160 knots, a little over 180 mph.
"If you exit the bottom of the clouds at 4,000 feet per minute at that high speed, you've certainly lost control of the aircraft," Lau said.
A witness on the mountain bike trail near the crash told the NTSB that the area had been surrounded by mist when he began to hear the sound of a helicopter. The sound grew louder for the witness before he caught sight of "a blue and white helicopter emerge from the clouds passing from left to right directly to his left," according to the report. The craft then rolled to the left, far enough for him to see the belly of the helicopter. About two seconds later, it crashed into the hillside.
Helicopter pilot Mike Sagely told the AP that the path of the helicopter suggests Zobayan had started to execute a maneuver to designed to move above the clouds by flying up and forward. However, he added that when pilots deviated from the pop-up maneuver to instead turn, "probably in the neighborhood of 80 to 90% of the time, it's catastrophic."
The report says Zobayan's most recent flight review, from May 2019, included "proficiency training in inadvertent entry into instrument meteorological conditions (IIMC) and unusual attitude recovery."
Gary Johnson, the Vice-President of ACE Clearwater, knew Zobayan well. ACE Clearwater manufactures airplane parts and Johnson bsaid he would not want to fly with anyone else.
"He was born to be a pilot and I think there's this weird irony that he died doing what he loved," Johnson told Los Angeles' FOX 11.
"He was the man. He was a pilot's pilot. He's one of the few people who I would trust my life, my family's life, my dog's life too...very conscientious, awesome pilot."
Reality TV star and cosmetics businesswoman Kylie Jenner revealed on her Instagram Story that she had a personal connection with the aircraft's late pilot.
"That was the helicopter I would fly on from time to time with that pilot, Ara. He was such a nice man. Hold your loved ones close," she wrote, adding a white heart emoji.
Margaret Bray flew with Zobayan often to and from her restaurant, Maggie's Blue Rose, on the island off the coast of Los Angeles.
"He always had this big smile, this infectious smile," Bray told the Associated Press.
Zobayan would often take his lunch breaks at her restaurant and told her about a recent trip to Spain. Bray, who like Zobayan is of Armenian descent, said she'd tease him when she saw him on TV as part of Bryant's "entourage."
"I think Kobe and him had this friendship," she said. "It wasn't like pilot and customer."
Zobayan worked for Group 3 Aviation, which said in a statement that he came to the company in 1998 to learn how to fly helicopters after being captivated during a sightseeing flight at the Grand Canyon.
"Ara worked hard in other businesses to save enough money to pay for training. Flying was his life's passion," owners Peter and Claudia Lowry said in the statement. The owners said they were heartbroken over Zobayan's death.
Born in Lebanon in 1970, a teenage Zobayan by chance sat next to a helicopter mechanic on the flight taking him to the United States.
The mechanic lent Zobayan a helicopter magazine, which the youth devoured for the remainder of the flight, said Chuck Street, executive director of the Los Angeles Area Helicopter Operators Association.
When he had saved enough money, he took that fateful helicopter tour of the Grand Canyon.
"After that experience, he became laser-focused on becoming a helicopter pilot," Street said.
In September, soap opera actor and pilot Lorenza Lamas posted a picture with a helicopter bearing the same N-number, or a registration number given to aircraft, as the one that crashed Sunday with the caption, "Sun setting on another glorious day. Life is a mirror and will reflect back to the thinker what he thinks into it - Ernest Holmes." Lamas also appeared to tweet that he was safe after the crash, before the post in question was deleted. He did not immediately respond to reporters requests for comment.
On January 23, Lamas tweeted another picture of a helicopter, this one captioned, "Pilot Life. Catalina Island." The former soap star was apparently referencing a popular tourist destination off the coast of Los Angeles, with whom Island Express Holding Corporation has contracted to conduct helicopter tours since 1982, according to archived images from their website.
In July 2013, Ara Zoboyan was featured on Lorenzo Lamas' episode of "Celebrity Wife Swap" alongside comedian Andy Dick. A Facebook post from Lamas at the time read, "Tune in to ABC this Sunday 8pm to see Ara and me fly Andy Dick's baby momma around on 'Celebrity Wife Swap' lol."
Ara Zobayan, 50, was the pilot of a private helicopter which slammed into a hillside in Calabasas, California on the morning of January 26, 2020, killing all on board.
The helicopter carrying eight passengers, including NBA great Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna, crashed within seconds of being heard overhead by locals. Approximately 40 minutes earlier the helicopter piloted by Zobayan departed from the John Wayne Airport in Orange County. The aircraft, carrying a total of nine people, was set to arrive at Bryant's Mamba Sports Academy in Newbury Park for a scheduled game, according to ESPN.
During a press conference held the day after the accident, National Transportation Safety Board member Jennifer Homendy shared that the pilot attempted to fly higher to avoid a cloud layer shortly before crashing.
According to Homendy the helicopter circled for 12 minutes until the special VFR was approved by Air Traffic Control. Special VFR is an air traffic control authorization that allows an aircraft to proceed through controlled airspace at less than the basic VFR minimums of 1,000 ft. ceiling and three miles visibility, Homendy explained.
Zobayan was certified to fly commercial helicopters and had no record of accidents, incidents or enforcement actions with the FAA.
A Federal Aviation Administration aircraft-registration database showed that the helicopter was a 1991 Sikorsky S-76B model owned by a company named Island Express Holding Corp. It was previously owned by the state of Illinois, according to the database.
The helicopter was registered to Island Express Helicopters of Fillmore, California.
Zobayan was the chief pilot for the charter service and had more than 8,200 hours of flight time. He was additionally certified to fly solely using instruments — a more difficult rating to attain that allows pilots to fly at night and through clouds.
According to the National Transportation Safety Board database, the helicopter involved in the crash was not previously involved in any incidents.
The helicopter manufacturer, Sikorsky, a subsidiary of military contractor Lockheed Martin, wrote in a tweet that the company intended to cooperate with the NTSB investigation. "We extend our sincerest condolences to all those affected by today's Sikorsky S-76B accident in Calabasas, California. We have been in contact with the NTSB and stand ready to provide assistance and support to the investigative authorities and our customer," the company wrote. "Safety is our top priority; if there are any actionable findings from the investigation, we will inform our S-76 customers."
In early February the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) released an "investigative update" on the crash.
The report covered what has been pieced together about Island Express Helicopters pilot Ara Zobayan's flight through the foggy conditions that day. It's likely to take a year for authorities to fully conclude what happened.
Radar indicates the helicopter only ascended to 2,300 feet above mean sea level (msl) before veering left and descending to the fatal crash.
The National Weather Service had analyzed an NTSB photo to find the top of the cloud layer the helicopter had been traveling through was at about 2,400 feet msl. About 100 feet had been between the helicopter and the cloud surface.
Air safety consultant Kipp Lau told the Associated Press that had the helicopter continued to ascend, assuming it was traveling at 500 feet per minute, the craft could have broken through the cloud surface in just 12 more seconds.
But Zobayan broke from the path at that point, turning left before descending at 4,000 feet per minute at a speed of 160 knots, a little over 180 mph.
"If you exit the bottom of the clouds at 4,000 feet per minute at that high speed, you've certainly lost control of the aircraft," Lau said.
A witness on the mountain bike trail near the crash told the NTSB that the area had been surrounded by mist when he began to hear the sound of a helicopter. The sound grew louder for the witness before he caught sight of "a blue and white helicopter emerge from the clouds passing from left to right directly to his left," according to the report. The craft then rolled to the left, far enough for him to see the belly of the helicopter. About two seconds later, it crashed into the hillside.
Helicopter pilot Mike Sagely told the AP that the path of the helicopter suggests Zobayan had started to execute a maneuver to designed to move above the clouds by flying up and forward. However, he added that when pilots deviated from the pop-up maneuver to instead turn, "probably in the neighborhood of 80 to 90% of the time, it's catastrophic."
The report says Zobayan's most recent flight review, from May 2019, included "proficiency training in inadvertent entry into instrument meteorological conditions (IIMC) and unusual attitude recovery."
Gary Johnson, the Vice-President of ACE Clearwater, knew Zobayan well. ACE Clearwater manufactures airplane parts and Johnson bsaid he would not want to fly with anyone else.
"He was born to be a pilot and I think there's this weird irony that he died doing what he loved," Johnson told Los Angeles' FOX 11.
"He was the man. He was a pilot's pilot. He's one of the few people who I would trust my life, my family's life, my dog's life too...very conscientious, awesome pilot."
Reality TV star and cosmetics businesswoman Kylie Jenner revealed on her Instagram Story that she had a personal connection with the aircraft's late pilot.
"That was the helicopter I would fly on from time to time with that pilot, Ara. He was such a nice man. Hold your loved ones close," she wrote, adding a white heart emoji.
Margaret Bray flew with Zobayan often to and from her restaurant, Maggie's Blue Rose, on the island off the coast of Los Angeles.
"He always had this big smile, this infectious smile," Bray told the Associated Press.
Zobayan would often take his lunch breaks at her restaurant and told her about a recent trip to Spain. Bray, who like Zobayan is of Armenian descent, said she'd tease him when she saw him on TV as part of Bryant's "entourage."
"I think Kobe and him had this friendship," she said. "It wasn't like pilot and customer."
Zobayan worked for Group 3 Aviation, which said in a statement that he came to the company in 1998 to learn how to fly helicopters after being captivated during a sightseeing flight at the Grand Canyon.
"Ara worked hard in other businesses to save enough money to pay for training. Flying was his life's passion," owners Peter and Claudia Lowry said in the statement. The owners said they were heartbroken over Zobayan's death.
Born in Lebanon in 1970, a teenage Zobayan by chance sat next to a helicopter mechanic on the flight taking him to the United States.
The mechanic lent Zobayan a helicopter magazine, which the youth devoured for the remainder of the flight, said Chuck Street, executive director of the Los Angeles Area Helicopter Operators Association.
When he had saved enough money, he took that fateful helicopter tour of the Grand Canyon.
"After that experience, he became laser-focused on becoming a helicopter pilot," Street said.
In September, soap opera actor and pilot Lorenza Lamas posted a picture with a helicopter bearing the same N-number, or a registration number given to aircraft, as the one that crashed Sunday with the caption, "Sun setting on another glorious day. Life is a mirror and will reflect back to the thinker what he thinks into it - Ernest Holmes." Lamas also appeared to tweet that he was safe after the crash, before the post in question was deleted. He did not immediately respond to reporters requests for comment.
On January 23, Lamas tweeted another picture of a helicopter, this one captioned, "Pilot Life. Catalina Island." The former soap star was apparently referencing a popular tourist destination off the coast of Los Angeles, with whom Island Express Holding Corporation has contracted to conduct helicopter tours since 1982, according to archived images from their website.
In July 2013, Ara Zoboyan was featured on Lorenzo Lamas' episode of "Celebrity Wife Swap" alongside comedian Andy Dick. A Facebook post from Lamas at the time read, "Tune in to ABC this Sunday 8pm to see Ara and me fly Andy Dick's baby momma around on 'Celebrity Wife Swap' lol."
The helicopter carrying eight passengers, including NBA great Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna, crashed within seconds of being heard overhead by locals. Approximately 40 minutes earlier the helicopter piloted by Zobayan departed from the John Wayne Airport in Orange County. The aircraft, carrying a total of nine people, was set to arrive at Bryant's Mamba Sports Academy in Newbury Park for a scheduled game, according to ESPN.
During a press conference held the day after the accident, National Transportation Safety Board member Jennifer Homendy shared that the pilot attempted to fly higher to avoid a cloud layer shortly before crashing.
According to Homendy the helicopter circled for 12 minutes until the special VFR was approved by Air Traffic Control. Special VFR is an air traffic control authorization that allows an aircraft to proceed through controlled airspace at less than the basic VFR minimums of 1,000 ft. ceiling and three miles visibility, Homendy explained.
Zobayan was certified to fly commercial helicopters and had no record of accidents, incidents or enforcement actions with the FAA.
A Federal Aviation Administration aircraft-registration database showed that the helicopter was a 1991 Sikorsky S-76B model owned by a company named Island Express Holding Corp. It was previously owned by the state of Illinois, according to the database.
The helicopter was registered to Island Express Helicopters of Fillmore, California.
Zobayan was the chief pilot for the charter service and had more than 8,200 hours of flight time. He was additionally certified to fly solely using instruments — a more difficult rating to attain that allows pilots to fly at night and through clouds.
According to the National Transportation Safety Board database, the helicopter involved in the crash was not previously involved in any incidents.
The helicopter manufacturer, Sikorsky, a subsidiary of military contractor Lockheed Martin, wrote in a tweet that the company intended to cooperate with the NTSB investigation. "We extend our sincerest condolences to all those affected by today's Sikorsky S-76B accident in Calabasas, California. We have been in contact with the NTSB and stand ready to provide assistance and support to the investigative authorities and our customer," the company wrote. "Safety is our top priority; if there are any actionable findings from the investigation, we will inform our S-76 customers."
In early February the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) released an "investigative update" on the crash.
The report covered what has been pieced together about Island Express Helicopters pilot Ara Zobayan's flight through the foggy conditions that day. It's likely to take a year for authorities to fully conclude what happened.
Radar indicates the helicopter only ascended to 2,300 feet above mean sea level (msl) before veering left and descending to the fatal crash.
The National Weather Service had analyzed an NTSB photo to find the top of the cloud layer the helicopter had been traveling through was at about 2,400 feet msl. About 100 feet had been between the helicopter and the cloud surface.
Air safety consultant Kipp Lau told the Associated Press that had the helicopter continued to ascend, assuming it was traveling at 500 feet per minute, the craft could have broken through the cloud surface in just 12 more seconds.
But Zobayan broke from the path at that point, turning left before descending at 4,000 feet per minute at a speed of 160 knots, a little over 180 mph.
"If you exit the bottom of the clouds at 4,000 feet per minute at that high speed, you've certainly lost control of the aircraft," Lau said.
A witness on the mountain bike trail near the crash told the NTSB that the area had been surrounded by mist when he began to hear the sound of a helicopter. The sound grew louder for the witness before he caught sight of "a blue and white helicopter emerge from the clouds passing from left to right directly to his left," according to the report. The craft then rolled to the left, far enough for him to see the belly of the helicopter. About two seconds later, it crashed into the hillside.
Helicopter pilot Mike Sagely told the AP that the path of the helicopter suggests Zobayan had started to execute a maneuver to designed to move above the clouds by flying up and forward. However, he added that when pilots deviated from the pop-up maneuver to instead turn, "probably in the neighborhood of 80 to 90% of the time, it's catastrophic."
The report says Zobayan's most recent flight review, from May 2019, included "proficiency training in inadvertent entry into instrument meteorological conditions (IIMC) and unusual attitude recovery."
Gary Johnson, the Vice-President of ACE Clearwater, knew Zobayan well. ACE Clearwater manufactures airplane parts and Johnson bsaid he would not want to fly with anyone else.
"He was born to be a pilot and I think there's this weird irony that he died doing what he loved," Johnson told Los Angeles' FOX 11.
"He was the man. He was a pilot's pilot. He's one of the few people who I would trust my life, my family's life, my dog's life too...very conscientious, awesome pilot."
Reality TV star and cosmetics businesswoman Kylie Jenner revealed on her Instagram Story that she had a personal connection with the aircraft's late pilot.
"That was the helicopter I would fly on from time to time with that pilot, Ara. He was such a nice man. Hold your loved ones close," she wrote, adding a white heart emoji.
Margaret Bray flew with Zobayan often to and from her restaurant, Maggie's Blue Rose, on the island off the coast of Los Angeles.
"He always had this big smile, this infectious smile," Bray told the Associated Press.
Zobayan would often take his lunch breaks at her restaurant and told her about a recent trip to Spain. Bray, who like Zobayan is of Armenian descent, said she'd tease him when she saw him on TV as part of Bryant's "entourage."
"I think Kobe and him had this friendship," she said. "It wasn't like pilot and customer."
Zobayan worked for Group 3 Aviation, which said in a statement that he came to the company in 1998 to learn how to fly helicopters after being captivated during a sightseeing flight at the Grand Canyon.
"Ara worked hard in other businesses to save enough money to pay for training. Flying was his life's passion," owners Peter and Claudia Lowry said in the statement. The owners said they were heartbroken over Zobayan's death.
Born in Lebanon in 1970, a teenage Zobayan by chance sat next to a helicopter mechanic on the flight taking him to the United States.
The mechanic lent Zobayan a helicopter magazine, which the youth devoured for the remainder of the flight, said Chuck Street, executive director of the Los Angeles Area Helicopter Operators Association.
When he had saved enough money, he took that fateful helicopter tour of the Grand Canyon.
"After that experience, he became laser-focused on becoming a helicopter pilot," Street said.
In September, soap opera actor and pilot Lorenza Lamas posted a picture with a helicopter bearing the same N-number, or a registration number given to aircraft, as the one that crashed Sunday with the caption, "Sun setting on another glorious day. Life is a mirror and will reflect back to the thinker what he thinks into it - Ernest Holmes." Lamas also appeared to tweet that he was safe after the crash, before the post in question was deleted. He did not immediately respond to reporters requests for comment.
On January 23, Lamas tweeted another picture of a helicopter, this one captioned, "Pilot Life. Catalina Island." The former soap star was apparently referencing a popular tourist destination off the coast of Los Angeles, with whom Island Express Holding Corporation has contracted to conduct helicopter tours since 1982, according to archived images from their website.
In July 2013, Ara Zoboyan was featured on Lorenzo Lamas' episode of "Celebrity Wife Swap" alongside comedian Andy Dick. A Facebook post from Lamas at the time read, "Tune in to ABC this Sunday 8pm to see Ara and me fly Andy Dick's baby momma around on 'Celebrity Wife Swap' lol."
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