I'm willing to give any pilot the benefit of the doubt, until there is a completed comprehensive investigation. Even if it was you.
Your statement directly contradicts your posts. All you have posted is speculation and dubious theories about this accident which are out of sync with experienced pilot views yet now you feel you need to wait "until there is a completed comprehensive investigation" to accept the obvious. If that last statement is true.....then hopefully the wacky theories stop until the NTSB issues it's final report in 18 months.
Interesting read: https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/31962/i-almost-died-flying-into-a-mountain-near-kobes-crash-veteran-navy-pilot-explains-the-risks
New details: https://ktla.com/2020/02/21/kobe-bryants-pilot-had-been-disciplined-by-faa-over-weather-related-flight-violation/?fbclid=IwAR0ELAozLlkpIc_2s9-OxKU2L0uXeHbDufcbEbZFWmhyoo7RI5c18FlKuZA
amazing one of the lawsuits would go after the pilot's brother. amazing the pilots brother would then call the passengers negligent. https://www.cnn.com/2020/05/11/us/kobe-bryant-crash-lawsuit-pilot-family-response/index.html
Probably in the belief that Kobe forced the flight to go on in spite of bad weather. But like you say, how can he prove it?
June 17, 2020 "The pilot of the helicopter that crashed in thick fog, killing Kobe Bryant and seven other passengers, reported the aircraft was ascending when it actually was heading for the ground, ...." .
June 17, 2020 NTSB Opens Public Docket for Investigation of Calabasas, California, Helicopter Crash - (over 1,700 pages) https://dms.ntsb.gov/pubdms/search/hitlist.cfm?docketID=63911&CFID=394601&CFTOKEN=b50d65922c2b2b26-A294BC54-5056-942C-92BEA33CC33B0675
The NTSB has cautioned against drawing conclusions from this. Something this news report does not mention. And I would disagree that the pilot would not be able to know which way is up or down, because he had an altimeter. Assuming it was working properly. FTR 0945:15 - highest altitude of flight recorded altitude 2,300' 0945:19 - pilot radios he is climbing to 4,000' altitude 1,600' 0945:24 - tower asks what will he do then (no response received) 0945:41 - crash can be heard on surveillance video
Nothing especially surprising in the docket. Except for the fact that Lorenzo Lamas is a pilot for IEX-- and has been for several years! Who would have guessed?