The NTSB has released an investigative report on the helicopter crash that killed Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna, and seven others. The agency included new photos of the chopper in the air and the crash impact.
The National Transportation Safety Board has released an investigative update on the tragic helicopter crash that took the lives of L.A. Lakers legend Kobe Bryant, 41, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, and seven others on Jan. 26. It included a heartbreaking final photo of the Sikorsky S-76B chopper disappearing into thick fog, taken from a security camera. A witness then shared a photo with the agency of the ball of fire that erupted when the helicopter crashed into a hillside in Calabasas. The preliminary report on the crash is still pending.
The witness told NTSB investigators that he heard the sound of the chopper getting closer, then saw it emerge from the clouds. The report states that the witness saw the helicopter roll onto its left so that the underside was visible. It then crashed into a ball of flames about 50 feet below him. The update gave no indication of engine failure, as the engine was powering the rotors right up until the moment of impact, according to both an analysis of the crash site and statements from the crash’s witness. The agency has asked for help from the public by sending in photos of the weather from the time and area of the crash, as poor visibility has been one of the main focuses of the investigation.
“Our investigators have already developed a substantial amount of evidence about the circumstances of this tragic crash,” NTSB Chairman Robert L. Sumwalt said in a statement to the publication. “And we are confident that we will be able to determine its cause as well as any factors that contributed to it so we can make safety recommendations to prevent accidents like this from occurring again.” A full report on the crash from the NTSB could take up to a year before it’s released. Investigators will further look at weather conditions, the pilot and his company’s history, and any possible mechanical issues.
One of the final pictures of the helicopter carrying Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna, and 7 others as it flew into a foggy cloud bank on Jan. 26, 2020. It would later crash into a hillside in Calabasas, CA. Photo credit: NTSB.
A witness photo from the crash site of the helicopter carrying Kobe Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and 7 others. It emerged from a foggy cloud bank and impacted the Calabasas hillside about 50 feet away from the witness. Photo credit: NTSB.
Kobe, Gianna, six others and the pilot Ara Zobayan, 50, were en route from Orange County to Kobe’s Mamba Sports Academy in Thousand Oaks, CA for Gianna’s basketball tournament at the time the chopper went down. Their cause of deaths have been determined to have been from blunt force trauma from the crash, by the LA County Coroner’s Office. The manner of their sudden and tragic deaths was listed as an “accident.” Kobe left behind grieving wife Vanessa, 37, and daughters Natalia, 17, Bianka, 3, and seven-month-old Capri.
Sourse: hollywoodlife.com
