The Apprentice star Lord Sugar, 72, received backlash from many Twitter users after he spoke out about his hatred of helicopters today. His comment comes after basketball player Kobe Bryant, 41, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others were killed after a helicopter came down in Calabasas, California.
Lord Sugar began by sharing a tweet from Piers Morgan, 54, who paid a tribute to the late sports icon.
Piers commented: “SHOCKING, NEWS: Basketball legend Kobe Bryant killed in helicopter crash, aged just 41.”
The Apprentice star shared his thoughts in view of his 5.3 million followers, writing: “Terrible news.
“What with the Leicester owner last year it just enforces my hate of helicopters.
READ MORE: Kobe Bryant dead: NBA release statement after Lakers icon passes away
Another wrote: “You’re an intelligent man, explain how they defy physics!”
“When the rear rotor breaks or the engine fails they drop like a stone or fall to the ground like a sycamore seed,” the businessman replied.
In response to a now-deleted tweet, he added: “I am merely stating that as qualified pilot that knows about aerodynamics etc that I would not step in one any more.”
Express.co.uk has contacted an expert for comment.
Kurt Deetz, a former pilot for the company to which the helicopter was registered, told Los Angeles Times: “The likelihood of a catastrophic twin-engine failure on that aircraft — it just doesn’t happen.
“And if he is in the fog and on instruments and has an emergency, it makes recovery from that emergency far, far more difficult.
“Any emergency is amplified when you can’t see your surroundings.”
The helicopter, believed to be a a Sikorsky S-76, which was carrying Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna smashed into a hillside in foggy weather conditions.
It is reported the aircraft hit the ground at 185mph.
The official cause of the crash has not yet been determined and an investigation is currently underway.
According to CNN, Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva said today: “It’s a logistical nightmare in a sense because the crash site itself is not easily accessible.”
The news website’s Michael Guy added: “The crash occurred under foggy and cloudy conditions with extremely low visibility.”
He is survived by wife Vanessa and his other daughters Natalia, Bianca and Capri.
