Kobe Bryant Helicopter Crash: New Clues Emerge as Cellphone Video Surfaces of Flight in Midair

The days since the helicopter crash that claimed the lives of Kobe Bryant and eight other individuals have been filled with questions about the incident. The National Transportation Safety Board has been investigating the crash in an effort to determine the true cause. Now new details have emerged that are helping piece together the final minutes of the doomed flight.

According to CBS News, cell phone footage has surfaced that appears to show Bryant's helicopter circling near Burbank Airport before the accident. It was previously reported by the LA Times that the helicopter was in a holding pattern near Burbank while waiting for the airport traffic to clear.

"This was a high-energy impact crash," a National Transportation Safety Board member said to CBS News. They also revealed that the helicopter was actually in one piece when it impacted the terrain. The aircraft did not break apart as it was plummeting to the ground.

According to the report, the helicopter was not equipped with a black box or a terrain warning system. The latter device is one that would "squawk" when the helicopter came too close to the ground and has been used frequently by pilots in adverse conditions. The investigators did find an iPad and maintenance records among the debris.

In addition to the cell phone footage, it was also revealed that the pilot, Ara Zobayan, radioed air traffic control 35 minutes after takeoff and asked them to track the helicopter on radar due to the deteriorating weather conditions. However, he was reportedly flying too low to be tracked.

Zobayan radioed to inform air traffic control that he was climbing to go above the layer of clouds. The helicopter reportedly climbed to 23,000 feet in the fog that was described as "potentially blinding." The aircraft was recorded reaching a speed of about 184 mph prior to the sudden veer to the south and subsequent descent. Investigators say that the helicopter descended at speeds of up to 5,000 feet per minute in its final 12 seconds prior to crashing into the hillside.

The investigators in California have recovered all nine bodies from the helicopter crash. The wreckage has also been cleared from the crash site as the investigation into the tragic incident continues.

"We're not just focusing on weather here," NTSB Member Jennifer Homendy said during a Monday press conference. "We're looking at man, machine, and the environment, and weather is just a small portion of that."

Photo Credit: Getty Images