admin Kobe Bryant, 41, was with his daughter who wanted to be a Basketball star just like him. 9 others boarded the helicopter. The chopper crashed above the Calabasas hills a short time before 10 am on Sunday morning.
A 911 call was received by the authorities at 9:47 am and firefighters arrived at what was a huge bush fire ignited by the crash, said L.A. County Fire Chief Daryl Osby.
The chopper was a 1991 built Sikorsky S-76B. According to flight records, it departed John Wayne Airport at 9:06 a.m. Sunday. The helicopter passed over Boyle Heights, near Dodger Stadium.
“The weather situation did not meet our minimum standards for flying,” Rubenstein said. According to him, the fog was enough for not flying. LAPD’s flight minimums are 2 miles of visibility and an 800-foot cloud ceiling, he said.
Osby stated that the fire was a stubborn one as it included magnesium which is hard to extinguish for firefighters. The bush fires didn’t help the firefighters either.
The crash is being investigated by the Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board. The standard practice of FBI assisting the probe is also there.
West was the general manager for the Lakers in 1996 and was responsible for Bryant’s immediate trade to the Lakers when he was drafted.
He said, “I know somewhere along the way I guess I’ll come to grips with it. But now I have all these different emotions regarding him. The things I watched him do on the basketball court, but more importantly … he was making a difference off the court. It’s so unexplainable. This is going to take a long time for me.”
Former Prez. Obama was emotional as he tweeted, “Kobe was a legend on the court and just getting started in what would have been just as meaningful a second act. To lose Gianna is even more heartbreaking to us as parents. Michelle and I send love and prayers to Vanessa and the entire Bryant family on an unthinkable day.”
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