The helicopter fell more than 1,000 feet into a hillside
About 15 minutes into the flight, the helicopter with the registration N72EX went into a holding pattern west of Glendale. It circled for about 10 to 15 minutes since it couldn’t cross from the L.A. airspace to the part controlled by the Hollywood Burbank airport.
Eventually, the helicopter was given access to go north tracing Interstate 5 through Burbank and then to 101 westward. But then just after 9:40 a.m., it turned southeast . The vehicle then climbed 2,300 feet before falling 1,085 feet into the hill, The New York Times reported, estimating it missed clearing the hill by about 20 to 30 feet. Previously flying at a speed of 184 miles per hour, it fell at more than 4,000 feet per minute, ESPN wrote.
The victims died from ‘blunt trauma’
More than a year later, the National Transportation Safety Board will hold a hearing to officially determine the cause of the crash on February 9, 2021, taking into account the more than 1,700 pages of documents that have been examined, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Various speculations have been made, but one thing is for sure — the Los Angeles County coroner’s report showed that the crash was “brutal,” ESPN reported, painting a picture of “broken bones, dismembered body parts, and a stench of fuel on what remained of the clothing that burned.” The extent made it clear that they had likely all died instantaneously from “blunt trauma.”
Along with the famous father and daughter, were Orange Coast College baseball coach John Altobelli, along with his wife Keri and daughter Alyssa; fellow basketball coach for the girls’ team Christina Mauser; and Sarah Chester and her daughter Payton. Pilot Zobayan also died.
One notable fact is that the helicopter was not equipped with a terrain awareness and warning system that indicates when an aircraft might hit the ground. Though the Federal Aviation Administration only requires it for air ambulances, the NTSB does recommend it. Since the incident, a push has been made to turn it into a requirement .
Vanessa Bryant speaks during The Celebration of Life for Kobe & Gianna Bryant at the Staples Center on February 24, 2020, in Los Angeles, California
Photo: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images
Bryant’s loss continues to be felt in every realm
As the news spread, the disbelief and tributes poured out. Among the words of sympathy was a tweet from Barack Obama: “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.”
On what would have been his 42nd birthday in August, his widow Vanessa posted on Instagram: “I love you and miss you more than I can ever explain. I wish you and Gigi were here to celebrate YOU! I wish I could make you your fav food or a birthday cake with my Gigi. I miss your big hugs, your kisses, your smile, your loud ass deep laugh… Our lives feel so empty without you and Gigi. I’ve been completely broken inside.”
But his legacy will forever live on with the Lakers, as James — one of the last people he talked to — showed in an Instagram tribute in December 2020 after the team won the season. With a photo of Bryant looking over him, he wrote, “What I felt last night when I grabbed that ring from the case. Love and miss you my brother!!!! #Mamba4Life.”
