Ara Zobayan (1970-2020)
The definition of scapegoat: a person or group made to bear the blame for others or to suffer in their place. And why do we need a scapegoat. There have been volumes written on why society needs scapegoats for calamities and disasters, but it boils down to this: people need closure. They need someone to blame in a situation where all the facts are not known and may NEVER be known. Plenty has been written about Ara-the-scapegoat. He must be to blame, right? He was an experienced pilot, he should have known better, right? For now, enough about Ara-the-pilot-of-the-deadly-crash. I’d like to tell you a little bit about Ara the man, a man whose loss is deeply felt by those who loved him.
Ara Zobayan leaves behind his partner of 11 years, Tess Davidson and her two boys, whom he loved like his own, longtime friend Jesse Clark told the Daily Mail. Ara “loved Tess beyond measure,” Clark said, adding that she ‘may never be over’ Ara’s death. Ara was not a celebrity like Kobe, but, Clark explained, he was no different than Kobe; he was a “put a smile on your face kind of guy. Nobody knows Ara, but a lot of people in this world really missed out.”
Zobayan was Kobe’s regular pilot, a friend, not just an employee; someone he trusted. He regularly flew Kobe and his family from John Wayne Airport in Orange County to the Camarillo airport near his daughter’s basketball practice at the Mamba Sports Academy in Thousand Oaks. Federal Aviation Administration Records show that Ara was a certified flight instructor, logging 8200 hours of flight time. Aviation firm Island Express describes him as their “chief pilot,” having worked for them for over 10 years. The 50-year-old Zobayan was certified to fly helicopters with complex aviation instruments; however his company was not.
If you are tempted to place the blame on Ara, perhaps you could ask yourself a few hard questions. They were in contact with Burbank tower when they hit fog around Griffith Park. Why did Burbank tower give them permission to fly, when all the police and media helicopters were grounded? And why did no one else in the plane say, “Hey, I’m not doing this. Let’s take her down.”
We don’t have the answers. The NTSB investigation, taking into account ‘man, machine and environment,’ is expected to take about 18 months, and we will probably never know what was said, what happened in those last few moments. Clark, however, feels confident that the probe will leave Ara free from criticism. “I know (Ara) was every bit as professional as the next guy, he said. “I don’t think anything was jeopardized by a choice he made. I know that was not a factor. I just wish we had more answers.” Perhaps those answers, he concluded, might help Tess and her boys to heal. Ara, is another victim of the same horrific crash. “A big figure in the lives of we who knew him,” Ara…is…just…GONE. No big public memorials, no adoring fans to celebrate him and comfort his grieving family and friends. “What he was to my kids, my family, the way he just let us into his life,” Clark told the Daily Mail, “he was the kind of guy you just wish the world was infected with.”
Rest in peace, Ara. You will live on in the hearts and memories of those whose lives you touched.
Ara Zobayan with longtime partner, Tess Davidson.
Ara’s family: Tess Davidson with her two sons, whom Ara “loved as his own.” Friend Jesse Clark said he “loved Tess beyond measure.”
