Kobe Bryant Helicopter Crash: Everything You Need To Know
Rest in peace, Kobe Bryant.
The former Los Angeles Lakers star and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna died on Sunday morning following a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California. According to the LA County Sheriff's Office, there were nine people on the helicopter -- a pilot and eight passengers. There were no survivors.
Bryant is survived by his wife, Vanessa, and their three other children -- Natalia, 17, Bianka, 3, and Capri, 7 months.
An investigation is ongoing, the LA County Sheriff's Office said. From what caused the crash to who was onboard, here's everything we know:
Who Was on the Helicopter?
Bryant and his daughter, Gianna, aka Gigi, have been identified as those onboard the helicopter. They were on their way to the Mamba Academy near Thousand Oaks, California, for a basketball tournament when the crash occurred. John Altobelli, a baseball coach at Orange Coast College, was also on the helicopter. Altobelli's daughter, Alyssa, played basketball with Bryant's daughter, Gianna. Alyssa and her mom, Keri, also died in Sunday's helicopter crash. Also among the victims is Christina Mauser, an assistant coach at Harbor Day School in Corona Del Mar, California.
Also on the plane were mother and daughter, Sarah and Payton Chester. The pilot has been identified as Ara Zobayan.
The LA County Sheriff's Office shared in a press conference on Sunday that they were still awaiting the coroner's office to assist in the recovery of the remains. The identities of those who died will not be released until their investigation has concluded.
What Happened?
The official cause of the crash is currently under investigation. During the LA County Sheriff's Office press conference on Monday, the National Transportation Safety Board asked for the public to help by sending in any photos of the weather in the area around the time of the crash to witness@ntps.gov. The NTSB confirmed that the FBI was involved in the investigation, but confirmed that there is no criminal aspect to the investigation. They will spend about five days collecting evidence, as debris spans 500 to 600 feet. There is an impact area on one of the hills, a piece of the helicopter's tail is down the hill, the fuselage is on the other side of that hill, and the main rotor is 100 yards beyond that.
There was not a black box on the helicopter, but the NTSB said there wasn't a requirement to have one on the aircraft. There was an iPad onboard for the pilot to look at the flight plan, weather briefings and more. The NTSB will be looking at that iPad, as well as the wreckage, pilot records and more to determine the cause of the crash.
The Sheriff's Office, meanwhile, confirmed that they have secured the crash site, and are now monitoring the area 24/7 on horseback and with ATVs, as the area is not easily accessible by vehicle. Trespassers will be charged with a misdemeanor. The coroner started recovering bodies on Sunday night, and will do so for the next several days. Once all the victims have been identified, their names will be confirmed to the public.
The NTSB also confirmed that the pilot, Zobayan, was an experienced commercial pilot and flight instructor, who had 8,200 hours of flight time as of July 2019. They're looking into whether there are issues in his record.
During the LA County Sheriff's Office press conference on Sunday, it was revealed that a 911 call was placed reporting a helicopter crash and brushfire at 9:47 a.m. It took emergency responders approximately eight minutes to arrive on the scene, and about another hour to extinguish the fire at the crash site.
The weather conditions were apparently pretty bad. A spokeswoman for the Los Angeles Police Department tells ET that the department grounded all of their helicopters on Sunday morning because the foggy weather conditions did not meet the LAPD’s minimum standards for flying.
Bryant's helicopter appeared to encounter weather issues around the Los Angeles Zoo, circling the area at least six times at a low altitude, perhaps waiting for the fog to clear. The pilot contacted the control tower at Burbank airport at around 9:30 a.m., and roughly ten minutes later, they encountered heavy fog as they traveled north. The helicopter flew into a mountain in Calabasas at around 9:45 a.m.
#Update Downed aircraft is a helicopter. Flames extinguished. #Malibu deputies at crash site looking for survivors, 4200 blk Las Virgenes Rd #Calabasas #LASD
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Five people confirmed deceased, no survivors in #Calabasas helicopter crash. #LASD #Malibu deputies remain with #LA County Fire personnel. Investigation ongoing.
Avoid the area until further notice.
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Traveling by helicopter was not unusual for Bryant, who frequently traveled that way during his time playing for the Lakers. He was known to commute from Newport Beach, California, to Downtown LA's Staples Center in his Sikorsky S-76 chopper.
Celebs Who Have Spoken Out:
Tributes have flooded in for Bryant and his daughter on social media. In a statement posted on Twitter on Sunday, the National Basketball Players Association said, "We are stunned and devastated by the news of the sudden passing of Kobe Bryant. Words cannot express his impact on our Players, the NBA and the game of basketball. This is a monumental loss for the entire basketball community and our hearts and quite simply broken. We send love and prayers out to his wife Vanessa and the entire family."
"Nooooooooooo God please No!" Dwyane Wade wrote on Twitter.
Tristan Thompson tweeted, "I hope this isn’t true man!!! Not Kobe."
Chrissy Teigen tweeted, "I cannot believe this is real. My god. Oh my god."
"Downtown right now and nothing feels more unimportant than what we are doing today," she added of the GRAMMY Awards in a second tweet. "This is absolutely terrible. Everyone is numb."
Downtown right now and nothing feels more unimportant than what we are doing today. This is absolutely terrible. Everyone is numb.
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