An image has been released that shows the helicopter Kobe Bryant and eight other people were in moments before it crashed. The National Transportation Safety Board obtained the image which is from security footage of the helicopter which vanishes into the heavy fog before the crash. The photo was taken from a security camera one mile from the crash site and it was included in the NTSB’s report on the crash. The photo can be found via AOL.com.
“The helicopter was not equipped with a flight data recorder or cockpit voice recorder (CVR) nor was it required to be for the accident flight,” the NTSB report read. The helicopter was equipped with a four-axis automatic flight control system, electronic flight instrument system, radio altimeter, and ADS-B transponder.
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“It was also equipped with a flight management system (FMS). The airworthiness group retained the FMS computer to examine it for any available recorded data stored in memory, and also retained two flight control computers, four gyros, and the standby attitude indicator for further examination. A number of personal electronic devices were recovered from the wreckage and will be examined for any relevant data.”
The cause of the crash has yet to be determined, but the NTSB did say the engine did not fail as it was considered a possibility. It was also determined the helicopter nearly cleared the blinding clouds before it hit the hillside.
“If you exit the bottom of the clouds at 4,000 feet per minute at that high speed, you’ve certainly lost control of the aircraft,” air safety consultant Kipp Lau told the Associated Press. He said the helicopter could have escaped the clouds in another 12 seconds if Zobayan was ascending at 500 feet per minute.
“Once you break out of the clouds, it’s clear. Everything lines up with the body,” Lau explained. “Now you have a real horizon.”
Bryant’s 13-year old daughter Gianna was also a victim in the crash. They were headed to a basketball tournament at Bryant’s Mamba Academy. Bryant was the head coach of Gianna’s team which was called Team Mamba. The team played in two games on Saturday, losing the first contest while winning the second. The tournament was called the Mamba Cup and it featured teams from all over California and several other states.
