Vanessa Bryant sues helicopter company involved in deadly crash

Kobe Bryant's widow, Vanessa Bryant, has filed a lawsuit against the company that owned the helicopter involved in the Jan. 26 crash that killed her husband, her daughter Gianna, and seven others, according to the Associated Press.

The lawsuit states the pilot in the crash was negligent and careless.

According to TMZ, Island Express was only permitted to fly under visual flight rules (VFR) - aviation terminology that means pilots must keep the ground in sight at all times - and conditions in the Los Angeles Basin on the day of the crash were not conducive for such flight.

The lawsuit also cites Federal Aviation Administration records that state the pilot, Ara Zobayan, was disciplined in 2015 for violating VFR minimums by flying into an airspace with reduced visibility.

The helicopter crashed into a hillside in foggy conditions in Calabasas, California, while the flight's passengers were on their way from Orange County to the Mamba Sports Academy for a youth basketball game.