I rode with many Army pilots in 1970-71. They not only had to fly the chopper (usually overloaded ) flying in formation, and people shooting at you trying kill you. My hats off to these guys they are fantastic. The man who came and got me out when I was wounded his chopper received 30 plus hits and a wounded door gunner. This man and crew were killed several days later before I had a chance to thank them. They gave me 48 more years of life they did not get, I think of those guys every day. Hopefully when I pass I will be able finally thank them.

I am a retired USAF pilot, having flown F4s and F-111Ds, and served as a T-37 instructor for four years. I was mesmerized by the discussion. So incredibly spontaeous, like sitting around hangar flying on a rainy day. Felt like I was a part of it. No BS, just very informal, but damned professional. One of the best damned things I have seen on KZfaq.

I sent a link to this video to a friend who is a former US Coast Guard helicopter pilot. He replied, "All the instrument rated helicopter pilots who’ve flown at low level using visual references in marginal and deteriorating weather knew what happened as soon as they heard the details of the crash. There was not the slightest doubt. The helicopter pilot in the video got everything exactly right."

As someone who's never flown in anything, and has no knowledge of flying what so ever, these guys made it easy to understand. I appreciate that, the whole video was done do respectfully and factual.

When you have this type of interview, allowing very intelligent pilots to explain these type of accidents, it gives new meaning. No finger pointing just the facts of the dangers of flying at the wrong place at the wrong time. Thank you for airing👍

Not a pilot but have been searching for reasons this flight ended tragically. This interview is everything that you need to know about this accident. Well done.

Scott is a terrific guest to have. His easy, straight-forward demeanor is perfect for enlightening me on the ins and outs of helicopter operation. Hope you have him on again.

I'm a helicopter pilot trained by the military and flew in Vietnam in mountainous terrain. When it was a nice day I would practice flying on instruments. It was a refresher for me so I would never be hesitant to go IFR if needed. This was important due to monsoon conditions that required us to scud run during combat operations. These conditions, for years in Vietnam, took the lives of many helicopter crews in mountainous terrain. After the war I was an ATP in the Bell 212, the S76 and the Agusta 109. All three had auto pilot systems and I flew hundreds of hours IFR in these aircraft as well as VFR. Many times I flew from a remote area to another remote area in low VFR conditions during search and rescue operations. When I suspected low visibility I made a point to contact someone in the area where I was headed for their help in the local visual conditions. Juan, I'm so happy you had Scott in this hangar talk. His emphasis for some IFR refresher is a wake up call for many VFR helicopter pilots. It was my understanding, while reviewing the radar from this flight, the aircraft was still at approximately 130 knots. The accident site shows the aircraft was traveling at a good clip when he contacted the hill. Too fast in low visibility conditions. It is also my opinion he never had a plan B or kept in mind that a turn to the right while climbing would have been over lower terrain if he transitioned to his instruments. He apparently, after going full IFR, tried to look for visual contact to the ground and lost control.

I’m 34 and thought I was getting old. These guys have been high school buddies since before I was born. Thank you for making me feel young again.

This pilot told the Truth.. You can tell in his face he didnt want to say but he kept 100.... The pilot lost control

This is incredible. THIS is what journalism should aspire to accomplish. Scott is such a knowledgeable, reasonable and rational guy. His calm, matter-of-fact, no sensationalism perspective was truly a joy to watch. I can't effectively describe how good this video is. Wow.

I feel so sorry for the pilot's family who has to live with the fact that he flew the helicopter that most likely caused the death of so many people. I wish strength and comfort for all involved.

I’m very greatful for ems pilots like him. They saved my life by getting me to a specialized spinal hospital within 15 minutes of my car accident and extraction. Scoby Newman- Erlanger medical center Chattanooga,TN. My car accident was 1 hour away (by road) in NW Georgia and he got me there in 15mins. Thank you.

I have absolutely no knowledge of how flight works but am able to get a general idea thanks to this video.

As a former US Army Master helicopter SP/IFE with over 5600hrs, this was right on point! Thanks for taking the time to inform the masses with the right knowledge! There is just so much speculation as to WHY the pilot but not enough questions as the WHAT! You now have a new follower!

I just learned more about this crash and helicopters then combined watching all the mainstream news outlets 😬

You guys are really good together explaining all the facts about flying and are entertaining. Thank You kindly for this video.

Congrats on a great interview! Scott obviously doesn't need a "degree" to make it very clear to anyone listening that he is a top-of-the-line, extremely qualified, no-nonsense professional in what he does for a living.

The most calm sit down I’ve seen so far explaining everything that could and did happen. Love that you don’t jump to conclusions. Thanks for all this info!

I had no idea about IFR and VFR till Kobe's helicopter crashed. Probably watched everything about it. This one is the best.

I am a fixed wing pilot and this is absolutely invaluable information from an experienced helicopter pilot. Great stuff.

Fantastic interview....please do more with this guy...covering many topics in aviation.. great work thanks for sharing.

Juan Browne is the BEST Reporter on KZfaq..!

I agree this more slowly paced discussion of the accident by two different pilots was excellent at giving understanding and insight. It's apparent the questions were planned and sequenced in a manner that added to our understanding without creating additional questions. Being a fixed wing pilot with just a little rotor craft experience I give them high marks. They explained where they positively knew answers, cautioned where there were possibly more than one answer and totally refused to commit to answers where it couldn't be know with current data. Well done.

Juan I enjoyed your conversation with Scott regarding this accident. I'm a retired offshore helicopter pilot, dual rated ATP. I found interesting his comments about lack of proficiency in IFR operations for many helicopter pilots. In the offshore industry IFR operations are used daily with most of the medium and large helicopters. There is a well developed offshore IFR system. Pilots flying IFR offshore get gobs of actual since the highest altitudes flown are below 10,000 feet. I agree with Scott when he said the pilot of the a/c was not in control when it hit the ground, as many have labeled this a CFIT accident when it wasn't. A sad accident that could have been avoided. Thank you for your coverage of the accident and thanks also for Scott and his input.

Fantastic edition Juan, thank you. I trained as a low level bomber pilot in the RAF many moons ago and we practised endlessly for low-level VFR to IFR pull ups. They were hard work and a major emergency in our very congested controlled airspace. You might just be on the correct track with your Recency and Competency line of thinking.

As a retired helicopter pilot with over 17,000 hours in a lot of helicopters, this is a very good interview. As an IFR captain of the S76 A++; C+;C++ and S92, I can tell you we had a "RIG APPROACH" in the S92. This had a Doppler indication which activated below 55 kts and was the only way you knew if and how much you were moving. This allowed you to operate offshore in 200 ft and 1/4 mile to land on an oil platform.

Juan, Our Daughter’s life was recently saved by a Medi-Vac helicopter. She experienced a ruptured brain aneurysm she was flown to a major hospital capable of such a massive surgery and after a month in the hospital she is recovering as expected. We thank god for helicopters and their pilots!!

Thank you for all you do to provide QUALITY, non sensational, information!

I love to hear experts talk. So refreshing.

Awesome to see a true friendship, so hard to find these days. Two great guys.

I don't fly nor into aviation, however I have a deep love for aviation. I'm into automobiles. This interview was incredibly informative and help's me to understand more. I have been following every single detail on this tragic tragedy on January 26th. I have been seriously taken aback by it. I remember it was a Sunday and I was working at The Theatre. Suddenly I began to daze at a young man staring at his phone and I just knew Immediately something was wrong. I asked him what's wrong and was there anything I could do to be helpful. He began to tell me that Kobe Bryant was in terrible accident in the air. I paused and just tried to keep breathing because I felt so overwhelmingly sick to my stomach . THANK you for your continued updates on this tragedy. This interview was amazingly honest and informative and I'm grateful!!! ♡♡♡

Please get him on again. Love learning about helicopters.

No one on earth can beat the mother of nature. The best solution is delaying or canceling the flight; otherwise, you are risking your life.

Great interview. Thanks. As a pilot and instrucor for 55 years I have to comment on the judgement part of flying. Pilots don't accidentally fly into IFR weather conditions. They can look out the window and decide to turn around or proceed. It's a judgement call, and is influenced by ego, and a "gotta get there" attitude. No amount of training or regulation can offset a poor decision by the pilot. It's tragic for the passengers and their families.

Man listening to this tells me flying a helicopter is hard and dangerous

Thank you gentlemen. This is what is all about. To judge is for God, to learn is for pilots. Hats off! A very honest conversation.

Thank you, Juan and Scott, for letting us listen in on your conversation. The distinctions in your training and experience underscore again that there are such a huge number of variables that are faced by pilots, requiring second-by-second responses.

Well... I don't speak pilot but I wasn't confused by what was being said in this video. So 👍👍👍👍

I'm a heli flyer (though with nothing like Scott's experience or skill). I thought everything he had to say was very well expressed.

Thanks, Juan, for a great discussion with Scott. Scott's a pro who tells it like it is. Much needed and much appreciated. I knew the pilot in the tragic accident was instrument qualified and also an instrument instructor but did not realize how infrequent he flew in actual IFR conditions. We will probably hear how little experience he actually had achieved. Very sad. Dean from Minnesota

I thought Scott Monroe was great and so very interesting. He gave fearless and terrific insight into the probable cause of this accident. Fantastic work!

Thank you Juan, for introducing Scott Monroe . He is a credit to his profession. It was my privilege to listen to his and your comments.

Excellent video. Well done guys. I have been a pilot for 42 years professionally (fixed wing) and learned something today from you two.

RIP KOBE and GIGI and everyone involved.

Without a doubt the most educational discussion from an aviation perspective about the tragedy. Well done!

Buddy Holley, Jim Croce, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Tony Lima, Patsy Cline, Otis Redding, Carol Lombard... there are SO many more artists all lost to aircraft accidents

great video, Juan. One of your best. Thank you!

I was faced with a similar situation a few years ago. I was at John Wayne and going to San Luis Obispo with a stop to pick up a passenger at Camarillo. It was clear at John Wayne but socked in over downtown LA with the top at about 3000 feet. Some of the locals said I should go special VFR and follow I-5 to 101 and follow it, said they did it all the time. I declined and filed IFR. Took about twice as long but I felt safe.

One of your best Juan, you are kicking it to a whole new level. The interview format with specialists in their fields is very interesting to us non aviation types. Scott seems to be a top bloke and like you quite humble, utube needs a button beyond thumbs up, it's just not adequate enough.

VFR in IMC in any machine is a very dangerous situation. I remember my FI telling me, There are old pilots and there are bold pilots. But there aren't any old, bold, pilots. Always err on the side of caution. It isn't a guarantee of safety, but it sure does increase your odds to fly another day.

It took me a while to be able to watch this video, I'm glad I did, good information for someone like me that knows nothing about helicopters or aviation. Thanks for your time guys. My heart is still hurting, I wish the outcome was different, thanks again for your prospective without being disrespectful to the deceased.

Juan, you have really outdone yourself this time! I laughed, I cried, it was awesome! You and Scott together were _great!_ Scott's flyaway and the end music chosen, with it's slow, thoughtful demeanor gives a professional polish that pushes the whole production, and you, into a whole new kind of _great._ Just wow.

“Training issue!” Pretty much sums up most of the problems in aviation today. Awesome interview!

I'm just baffled as to why anyone would give this a thumbs down.

Sensitively presented. Thank you Juan, Scott. Always hard having to breakdown aspects of an accident as it involves your peers and colleagues.

Great stuff as usual Juan! Just plain no BS information from two professionals who KNOW what they're talking about rather than a bunch of hot air from those who've never really walked the walk! Also, it's 100% correct that flying IFR IS a perishable skill. Even flying fixed with and flying needles takes regular practice. Flying the helo and having to literally "balance" it within a small margin with no visual cue is EXTREMELY difficult if you're not doing it regularly. Very nice V Tail! I've flown one for a friend who wanted to come to Air Venture but had a scheduling conflict at the last minute so he flew it to Rockford where I flew it up with the mass arrival then he came up a couple days later.

This has to be my favorite episode. Two great friends talking and teaching us. great job! 👍

im not a pilot but i do find this guy very interesting to listen he talks in easy to understand terms for us everyday ppl that dont fly

This guy is super smart and very cool to listen to! Thanks for having him on your channel

Juan I continue to be impressed by your knowing exactly what is important for this channel. This is one of the best of the best of insight episodes you have produced. Keep the real insights coming you are a master at this...... Scotty

Great interview! If only the “professional “ media could put together accurate concise reporting like this. And Scott was excellent. He said it like it is. So refreshing. Most non pilots don’t understand how perishable an instrument rating can be if you don’t routinely use it. When I got my fixed wing instrument rating, I purposely extended my training over more than a full year in order to gain experience in all types of weather, rain, low viz, snow, icing etc. it was invaluable. I think often pilots who have the rating, but no experience, are more likely to get into serious trouble if they encounter IMC.

Even though I was only able to understand about 40% of what you're saying, this video was 100% more informative than any of the MSM reports. Thank you for this.

Excellent interview with your friend Scott. My husband is "high time" retired helicopter pilot who was an ARMY Captain who flew Chinooks and later flew Part 135 helicopters for over 20 years working primarily in the western states fighting fires, law enforcement, back country flying for park service, working with the NTSB to haul wreckage out of Kearsage Pass and other places in the Sierra Nevada mountains, snow surveys, the list goes on and yes - television. Through the whole interview my husband was nodding YES to everything Scott was saying. They were on the same page. Finally an interview with a helicopter pilot who has been around the block and knows his stuff! Yes, helicopters are a different animal from fixed wing. Thanks to you and Scott for being straight forward and frank on a sensitive and still very raw subject. On a lighter note...he can fully identify with Scott regarding flying for TV stations.

just listening I have to applaud the coast guard rescue people who fly and hover while swimmers and all are out the door while in rain and winds.

As usual you have provided an incredible amount of detail you can't find anywhere else. Also pulling in an expert with his wealth of knowledge was a fantastic thing to do. Thank you for enlightening everyone.

JUAN this was pure magic!!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH for bringing in Scott and this wonderful interview -- very insightful !!!!

CNN Are you people watching? This is called an interview. It's what real news channels do.

Fantastic interview. Everyone reporting on this in the press needs to watch this.

Absolutely brilliant! Thank you so much for a balanced discussion. I received my PPL at 16, the following two years I did my cross country, night VMC and Instrument rating. I just turned 60 and still current. Not a commercial pilot although I did start it once for fun. Personal minimums I believe are extremely important. I have been with a group of friends who have decided to risk it on a leg that was below my personal minimums. Although they have made it, an extra night somewhere does not worry me when it's my safety and that of my passengers I may have with me. I'm not flying for a living but for the fun of it and going below my personal minimums would not be fun. What's the old saying "it's better to be on the ground wishing you were flying than being in the air wishing you were on the ground". New subscriber.

Thanks Juan, means alot to us at this time and in future charter choices and the questions to ask. very noble to explore this.

Thank u Juan. Ur uploads hav been very insightful. I am indeed grateful for the questions u addressed, the knowledge n experience u both willingly shared, n that u simplified it so well for non industry viewers. God bless.

Wow - talk about the polar opposite of our current 'sound bite' or 'Twitter' culture. Think about how many tweets would be needed to convey the thoughtful, content-rich and genuine conversation here - 100? 500? This demonstrates what we all hoped the internet could provide - clear information from people who know what they are talking about. I think we need to somehow push these very high-quality content-producing shows to the fore-front. I think it is up to us viewers...

Thank you for the discussion . As a MediVac Pilot, ATP, CFI, CFII, IGI, I truly appreciate your educational discussion . I agree with all of the points brought up. Every Pilot knows it is a skill that requires constant attention to be proficient .

One of you best videos to date Juan (and they are all very good). You and Scott provided some great insight into the Kobe crash. I loved the addition of American pie to the end of the video. Although the "American Pie" accident did not take off in a snowstorm. Ceiling was 3000 and visibility was 6 miles in light snow.

What a fantastic, insightful interview this was. I don't know anything about flying, but this channel explains a lot to the layman like me. Thank you, Juan (and Scott)!

I can't thank the EMS Pilots for everything they do. These men and women who do those jobs are beyond special. Every single time I see our medical choppers in the air, I take a moment and say a prayer for them. A prayer that whoever they are on their way to help or have in their chopper will be okay. Amazing!

Thank you, Scott! Great insight. Very interesting to get information from professionals who know what they are talking about.

Thanks for the special interview. Always learning more with each report.

Awesome interview Juan...your channel has been right on top of this with accurate, factual, and informative vids...as is always the case with your content...and this one, with two professionals who well know what they are talking about, was one of the best vids of any kind that I've seen on KZfaq.

Juan, I have to say this channel is just going from strength to strength, thank you so much for your insight and compassion and passion, you tell it how it is, and you get great people like Scott on who share and complement your knowledge and passion for aviation, and life in general.. Thankyou..

In reading the other comments, I would have to agree, the format of sitting in the hanger talking shop worked well. The back and forth, the camaraderie of flying professionals, discussing the issues that are present in the field, good stuff. Well done.

Awesome interview. Main stream media can't tell up from down on a helicopter. You and Scott are a great source of information!

Thank you Juan! You and Scott are awesome together and you should have him as a guest again sometime or better yet regularly. Thank you both for the very informative video.

That was literally a plethora of information on helicopter operations in IMC conditions. Thank you Scott and Juan.

Wonderful interview Juan. Lots of real info by two friends that are professionals. Thank you both for the no BS information. Lets hope that the FAA listens to pilots like you two and amends the IFR training requirements to include periodic refresher IFR flights- under actual IFR weather conditions- witnessed by an FAA examiner.

One of your finest videos! Thank you and Scott for your insight on this terrible accident.

This was so freaking good on so many levels!!! Thank you Juan and Scott for all you do!! Jim.

The day the music died. How well does that fit! Wiping a tear from my eye. Thanks Juan.

Congrats on the recent medical diagnosis Juan! Hopefully you'll be back in the air real soon! Thanks for the input on this crash, very sad but another learning experience for all of us.

Best info yet, and best thing I’ve watched all week. Thanks!

This was a great interview. Every idiot in the media covering this story should be required to watch this. On a side, I'm wondering how often Scott get's mistaken for Donald Sutherland working around Ca.

This was great, he really cleared up a lot for me. It was refreshing to listen to someone who clearly has a wealth of knowledge and is willing to give us his informed opinion. Not that you don't Juan!

What an insight from an humble professional. What a breath of fresh air ,as opposed to the usual hype!. i'm impressed.!.

Simply put, that was a great informative and enjoyable interview! So much information was packed into this segment. Thank you Juan and Scott!

Thank you guys so much. This video provided the only realistic and most likely cause of this tragedy. I like many others are still heartbroken over this crash and finally i feel like i have at least some answers now. Again, thanks for taking the time. Im sure im not the only person who truly appreciates it...

I love this guy!! Thank you for having him on. I learned a lot that I will never use, but still enjoyed learning about it. Very personable and truthful as well as entertaining. 😁👍🏼

So much more comprehensible now, I appreciate your help. In times like these, I think it’s just human nature to want to understand the why. Listening to the complicated nature of everything involved gets so confusing, thank you for making it digestible.

Very informative!!! Thank you....