Kobe's team wasn't grounded because it was a privately owned operation - and from what I've heard, Kobe's pilot had the last say in whether or not they were grounded, and he chose to fly And, probably, as Jimmy said, conditions deteriorated after they were airborne..... Police and Sheriff etc have can be shut down by higher ups - its not up to the pilots, although the pilots can refuse to fly, I think.. I did read that Kobe's team was given special permission to fly, and apparently that is not uncommon for private pilots in those situations..
Thanks for the kind words, Jimmy - you know a lot more about this stuff than I do and your theories and investigative work on this have been outstanding.. I agree that pilot error is probably going to be a major factor in this, although I'm still not - as I'm sure you aren't either - ready to dismiss mechanical issues..
Friendship is like peeing your pants.. Everybody can see it, but only you can feel the warmth..