California congressman introduces helicopter safety bill honoring Kobe and Gianna Bryant

(Image credit: Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

published 31 January 2020

Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Calif.) on Thursday introduced the Kobe Bryant and Gianna Bryant Helicopter Safety Act, making it mandatory for all helicopters to come equipped with a terrain awareness and warning system.

On Sunday, Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, and seven others were killed when their helicopter went down in Calabasas, California. It was foggy, and the chopper crashed into a hill. The helicopter did not have a terrain alarm system.

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Earlier this week, National Transportation Safety Board investigator Jennifer Homendy said that 16 years ago, her agency recommended that all helicopters carrying six or more passengers install a terrain awareness and warning system, but the Federal Aviation Administration rejected the proposal, the Los Angeles Times reports. The FAA denies this, citing the fact that helicopter air ambulance operations must have terrain alarm systems.

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.

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