Are Helicopters Safe? Everything You Need to Know About Flying in the Wake of Kobe Bryant’s Death

The tragic crash that claimed the lives of Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna and seven others on Sunday morning has left many asking if it’s safe to travel by helicopter.

The basketball superstar, 41, and his daughter, 13, were on their way to a youth basketball game when their helicopter went down in the hills of Calabasas, California. Bryant previously shared that he began using helicopters while he still played for the Los Angeles Lakers as a way to spend more time with his family — and less time stuck in traffic. It’s still unclear whether he always chartered his helicopters, or if he personally owned or leased one, but he used them frequently to travel shorter distances.

In the wake of the accident, PEOPLE spoke to experts in the field about the safety of flying in a helicopter and what potential passengers should know.

Are helicopters more dangerous than other forms of transportation?

“There is no form of transportation that is risk-free, and each mode has its advantages and disadvantages,” Dr. Hassan Shahidi, the President and CEO of the non-profit Flight Safety Foundation (FSF) tells PEOPLE. But it’s nearly impossible to accurately compare the safety of different modes of transportation because the data simply doesn’t exist in a way that makes them comparable.

For example, records are kept of the number of car accidents in a set number of days, airplane accidents are officially measured as a proportion of the total number of flights, and the number of helicopter accidents are only recorded per 100,000 flight hours.

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“In the U.S., in the last few years, the rate has hovered around 0.5 to 0.8 fatal helicopter accidents per 100,000 flight hours. There are nearly 40,000 people killed in auto accidents every year. [In the past few years] For airline operations, the average has been one fatal accident every two million flights,” Shahidi says.

His bottom line: “When you really look at statistics, walking or riding in a car is more dangerous than flying in a helicopter.” Even in light of the recent accident, he says, “from a statistical standpoint, helicopters are still a safe mode of transportation.”

How common are helicopter fatalities?

Statistics from the United States Helicopter Safety Team show that in 2019, 24 fatal accidents caused 51 fatalities on helicopters in the U.S., for a fatal accident rate of 0.68 per 100,000 flight hours. There were 122 total accidents last year, including those in which no one was killed.

What may make helicopter travel more dangerous than other forms of transportation?

According to Shahidi, helicopter fatalities have decreased significantly over the past three decades due to improvements in technology. Now, the majority of accidents are caused by human error.

“Less and less you have mechanical or technology issues, and more and more you have human factor elements or causes,” Shahidi says.

Mark Millam, the VP Technical at FSF, adds that there are a few challenges that helicopters face that regular planes do not, which add some risks. For one, helicopters fly closer to terrain and in and around the clouds, whereas regular planes typically fly above the clouds, where the air space is more routinely monitored.

“Seeing and avoiding all obstacles can be more difficult in all the locations helicopters are used in,” he says.

Should you avoid helicopter travel?

Like any form of travel, there are risks involved that need to be weighed.

Shahidi notes that anxiety around helicopter travel tends to go up whenever there is an accident, because it is often covered extensively in the media — more than, say, car crashes, which happen frequently and are viewed as less shocking.

Why would one choose to use a helicopter over other means of transportation?

Typically, people choose to use a helicopter to fly shorter distances, while a regular airplane is used to fly longer distances. While there may only be a few airports in a large city, many have a variety of helipads and heliports.

“You can’t take an airplane very short distances, it’s very difficult. That’s why you have helicopters,” says Shahidi. “They take off and land more often; they’re for very short distances, like 10, 20, 30 miles. They fly at very low altitudes and they’re basically on demand, meaning they’re not scheduled. You want to go somewhere, you get a charter helicopter and you go.”

How can you ensure that your ride on a helicopter is the safest it can be?

Beyond ensuring you are flying in good weather conditions, the first thing the average traveler can do is make sure the helicopter company is regulated by the FAA and other regulatory bodies. According to Shahidi, to operate in most metropolitan cities in the U.S., companies must be compliant with a set of regulations to ensure that their pilots, equipment and aircrafts are safe for transport.

“In many of the metropolitan areas or other sightseeing areas, there are helicopter tours and helicopter operations that are done safely every day,” says Shahidi.

It never hurts to ask or check before booking a helicopter for yourself. If you’re nervous, look into your pilot’s qualifications/training, and the history of accidents on the particular type/operator of the helicopter you will be flying aboard.

The California-based charter company that owned Bryant’s helicopter, Island Express Helicopters, assures on their website that they are a “federally regulated flight operator.” Bloomberg has reported that, prior to Bryant’s crash, Island Express Helicopters had been involved in four crashes in the past 35 years, according to government records, two of which were fatal.

In the case of Bryant’s crash, investigations are still ongoing.