Kobe Bryant Helicopter Crash Cause Identified
The cause of Kobe Bryant’s helicopter crash was identified this week.
Official investigations into crashes can last for as long as a year. Preliminary reports following accidents are typically released within 10 days.
On Monday, police sources informed TMZ that while an official reason for the accident will not be announced for a few days, it appears weather was to blame.
Even the Los Angeles Police Department grounded its helicopters at the time of Bryant’s crash as a result of poor weather conditions and persistent fog.
Flight tracker data following Bryant’s helicopter noted that it circled the Los Angeles zoo in Burbank six times at low altitude. Many believe this was the pilot’s attempt at waiting for the fog to clear.
At 9:30 a.m. the pilot reached out to Burbank Airport control for guidance, and the tower was aware that the helicopter was circling in the area for roughly 15 minutes.
At 9:40 a.m. the helicopter turned and began heading north along the 118 freeway and then west along the 101 freeway.
Right around this time, the helicopter suddenly rose from 1,200 feet to 2,000 feet.
Just moments later, while flying at 161 knots, the helicopter crash into a mountain area near Calabasas.
Bryant was on his way to the Mamba Academy in Thousand Oaks, California, for a youth basketball event.
Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, who also perished in the crash, are survived by Vanessa Bryant and children Natalia, Bianka and Capri.
Related: Kobe Bryant Helicopter Audio Released
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
