If you're wanting some more info on the helicopter crash...
The Sikorsky S-76B was flying in low clouds and fog, and for part of its trip it was operating under "special VFR" (special visual flight rules) clearance, meaning the pilot had to stay clear of clouds and fog. Rather than flying under instrument flight rules (IFR) that would have helped him get through cloud banks, he was navigating by using highways and landmarks as references. Such requests are atypical — but not uncommon.
https://www.npr.org/2020/01/27/800100632/what-we-know-the-helicopter-crash-that-killed-kobe-bryant-and-8-othersThe pilot of the helicopter that crashed near Los Angeles, killing former NBA superstar Kobe Bryant and eight others, told air traffic controllers in his last radio message that he was climbing to avoid a cloud layer before plunging more than 1,000 feet (305 meters) into a hillside, an accident investigator said.
Radar indicated the helicopter reached a height of 2,300 feet (701 meters) Sunday morning before descending, and the wreckage was found at 1,085 feet (331 meters), Jennifer Homendy of the National Transportation Safety Board said during a news conference Monday afternoon.
The pilot then asked for air traffic controllers to provide “flight following” radar assistance but was told the craft was too low for that assistance, Homendy said.
About four minutes later, “the pilot advised they were climbing to avoid a cloud layer," she said. “When ATC asked what the pilot planned to do, there was no reply. Radar data indicates the helicopter climbed to 2,300 feet (701 meters) and then began a left descending turn. Last radar contact was around 9:45 a.m."
“If you’re flying visually, if you get caught in a situation where you can’t see out the windshield, the life expectancy of the pilot and the aircraft is maybe 10, 15 seconds, and it happens all the time, and it’s really a shame,” Waldman said.
https://www.oregonlive.com/nation/2020/01/kobe-bryant-helicopter-tried-to-climb-to-avoid-clouds-before-crash.html
