The NTSB Searches Crash Site For Clues Behind Cause Of Kobe Bryant’s Helicopter Accident

Jan 29, 2020 by apost team

On the morning of January 26, 2020, the 18-time All-Star and five-time N.B.A. champion, Kobe Bryant, passed away in a devastating helicopter crash. Tragically, the basketball legend’s 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, was also among the nine people on board who lost their lives. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash site to find out what exactly caused Kobe Bryant's helicopter to crash. 

Kobe Bryant owned his own private Sikorsky S-76 helicopter according to Entertainment Tonight. The NBA legend used helicopter transportation so he could beat L.A. traffic and spend more time with his family. 

The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed the basketball star was traveling on an S-76 helicopter Sunday morning when it crashed into a hillside in Calabasas, California, as per the Washington Post. Bryant was traveling with his 13-year-old daughter Giana “GiGi” Bryant,  another six passengers, and a pilot. There were no survivors.

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The NTSB has been updating its social media feed with pictures and official information on the crash. A member of the board said yesterday at a press conference as per CNN that the helicopter dropped more than 2,000 feet a minute and was in one piece until it crashed into the hillside. 

Jennifer Homendy, a member of the NTSB, said: "The descent rate for the helicopter was over 2,000 feet a minute, so we know that this was a high energy impact crash. This is a pretty steep descent at high speed. So it wouldn't be a normal landing speed."

The pilot of the helicopter contacted air traffic control to say he was climbing higher in the sky to avoid a cloud layer. The NTSB reports the last contact with the helicopter was at 9:45 a.m. on Sunday. Two minutes later, a 911 call came in to report the accident. 

Homendy also said that Kobe Bryant's helicopter did not have a terrain awareness and warning system, which provides the pilot with information about the terrain below. This system has been recommended by the NTSB since as early as 2004 after a Galveston, Texas crash that killed 10 people. 

The visibility that day was extremely low. However, Kobe's pilot had received special permission to fly in poor conditions. However, the Los Angeles Police Department had even grounded its helicopters that day. The NTSB is still working toward finding out what caused the deadly crash to occur.  

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