Kobe Bryant: Witness Reveals Final Moments Before Deadly Helicopter Crash

The preliminary NTSB report on the Jan. 26 helicopter crash that killed Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant was released on Friday. In it, investigators reveal that a witness gave them a step-by-step description of the last moments before the crash. The NTSB found no evidence that the Sikorsky S-76B helicopter's engine failed before the crash.

The witness said he was on a mountain bike trail when he heard the helicopter getting close before it emerged from the clouds. It rolled so far left that the witness could see its underside. It crashed about 50 feet below him, the report said.
The witness also shared a picture of black smoke from the flaming wreckage of the helicopter.

According to National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigators, the helicopter's engine does not appear to have failed. In fact, the witness' description and evidence from the crash site show the engine was powering the rotors right until impact.

The preliminary report is not final and did not determine the official cause of the crash. That will not come until a final report, which might not be released until next year.

"Our investigators have already developed a substantial amount of evidence about the circumstances of this tragic crash," NTSB Chairman Robert L. Sumwalt said in a statement to the Washington Post. "And we are confident that we will be able to determine its cause as well as any factors that contributed to it so we can make safety recommendations to prevent accidents like this from occurring again."

At the time of the crash, Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna Bryant and six other passengers were on their way to the Mamba Sports Academy for a basketball tournament. The pilot was Ara Zobayah, who had about 8,200 flying hours on his resume and earned a commercial pilot certificate in 2007. He was certified to fly with helicopter instruments when visibility is poor, but the company that owned the helicopter, Island Express Helicopters, could only fly in good visibility.

During the flight, Zoboyan asked for special permission from air traffic controllers to fly under worse than normal conditions. He began following the Southern California freeways and climbed to an altitude of 2,300 feet. Flight data shows it hitting the hillside at about 1,085 feet.

The NTSB said in its preliminary report that the helicopter, built in 1991, did not have "black box" data recorders or a terrain awareness and warning system, which would have alerted the pilot. The NTSB has asked the FAA to make both a requirement, but the FAA has argued that they cannot stop crashes on their own. The FAA does require the terrain warning system on air ambulances though.

Bryant, who regularly used helicopters to get around Southern California, played 20 seasons for the Lakers before retiring in 2016 and won five NBA championships. He was 41 years old.

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