Pilot of helicopter that crashed in California killing basketball legend Kobe Bryant and eight others on board was reprimanded five years ago for flying without permission into airspace while he had reduced visibility, AP reported quoting the Federal Aviation Administration enforcement record.

Ara Zobayan violated the rules when crossing into a busy airspace near the Los Angeles International Airport in 2015.

Kobe Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, and seven others were onboard of a helicopter. Ara Zobayan, Armenian by origin, was the pilot of the helicopter that day.

According to earlier reports, experienced pilot Ara Zobayan came close to finding his way out of the clouds before the helicopter crashed in California.