Kobe Bryant Dies Age 41

Kobe Bryant died Sunday in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California, TMZ reports.

Bryant was reportedly in his private helicopter with three other people when it crashed.

Emergency personnel responded when a fire broke out.

No one on board the helicopter survived, according to TMZ Sports.

TMZ says that Vanessa Bryant was not onboard.

TMZ Report

Very Sad. He grew up a couple towns away where I'm from. in fact, His parents named him after an Asian restaurant in my hometown.

Here's a news article from AP about the accident:

Kobe Bryant helicopter lacked recommended safety device

In the article there's a discussion about whether the experienced pilot should have flown into fog. Did he go because he figured he could handle the situation? Maybe because Kobe was a celebrity and needed to get to Camarillo? (The pilot often flew important people around LA so celebrity itself wasn't an issue.) What were the factors in the decision?

Go down the article about 15 paragraphs and read about those kinds of decisions. Here's one paragraph:

He said [the pilot] should have turned around or landed but may have felt the pressure to reach his destination, an occupational hazard for pilots often referred to as “got-to-get-there-itis” or “get-home-itis.”

Sound familiar?

Here's a quote from another article:

Ditchey said that when he was in the Navy, sometimes he would fly in zero-visibility conditions because it was a military necessity. But he questioned why anybody without such a pressing mission would hop on a helicopter in what he called “very scary conditions.’’

“The weather is not good enough for the police to fly,’’ Ditchey said. “Why should Kobe do it?’’

When it comes to making the decision to drive or not in bad conditions, please be aware that there will always be someone who is willing to take that risk. You will never see a day that the highway is open but no one is on it. Someone will always be on it.

So don't make the decision based on what everyone else is doing. Make the decision based purely on your own instincts.

Also, keep in mind that the day after a bad storm there is almost always immaculate weather. The sun will be shining bright, the highways will be clear, and you can sail along at top speed safely. So don't take the risk and push your luck at slow speeds when tomorrow you'll be safe and efficient. Go get a steak, read a book, talk to your family, take a shower, do laundry, and take a nap. Doesn't that sound like a lot more fun than having a death-grip on the wheel at 25 mph hoping you don't kill yourself or your career? Heck yeah.

Play it safe. Play the long game. You want to have a long, safe, and prosperous career. That will require you to shut down sometimes. So shut down with confidence that you and your career are safe. Go have some fun instead.

Brett speaks wisdom:

Play the long game.

Drivers, when you wake up at the start of your day, say these words out loud.