By Aaron Miller-
The world has joined American in grieving the sudden death of outstanding basketball star, Kobe Bryant was killed on Sunday morning after the helicopter he was travelling in crashed amid foggy conditions and burst into flames in the hills above Calabasas.
Bryant’s helicopter took the fatal risk of flying through thick fog, despite Los Angeles police grounding their own fleet, before crashing into a hillside in Calabasas, California, killing all nine on board on Sunday morning.
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The 41-year-old former Lakers basketball star’s private Sikorsky S-76 immediately caught fire at around 10am. Bryant died alongside his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others. As a mentor and coach for 27 years, he helped students earn scholarships to play at four-year colleges and treated players like family, the school said in a statement.Show Search
Kobe Bryant, 41, the legendary basketball star who spent 20 years with the Lakers, was killed Sunday morning when the helicopter he was traveling in crashed amid foggy conditions and burst into flames in the hills above Calabasas, sources told the Los Angeles Times.
His daughter Gianna, 13, was also on board, NBA authorities confirmed.
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Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva said nine people were on the copter — a pilot and eight passengers. He would not confirm who had died until all the next of kin have been notified, he said.
The crash occurred shortly before 10 a.m. near Las Virgenes Road and Willow Glen Street in Calabasas. Authorities received a 911 call at 9:47 a.m., and firefighters arrived to find that the crash had ignited a quarter-acre brush fire in steep terrain, said L.A. County Fire Chief Daryl Osby. Responders included 56 fire personnel — firefighters, a helicopter with paramedics, hand crews — and sheriff’s deputies.
“Our firefighters hiked into the accident site with their medical equipment and hose lines to extinguish the stubborn fire as it included the brush fire … and the helicopter,” Osby said during a news conference Sunday afternoon. “The fire also included magnesium, which is very hard for firefighters to extinguish because magnesium reacts with oxygen and water.”
The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board alongside the FBI is also assisting in the probe, which is standard practice. The NTSB database does not show any prior incidents or accidents for the aircraft. The helicopter was registered to the Fillmore-based Island Express Holding Corp., according to the California secretary of state’s business database. The helicopter’s manufacturer, Sikorsky, said in a statement Sunday that it is cooperating with the investigation.
The fog was severe enough Sunday morning that the Los Angeles Police Department’s Air Support Division grounded its helicopters and didn’t fly until later in the afternoon, department spokesman Josh Rubenstein said.
“The weather situation did not meet our minimum standards for flying,” Rubenstein said. The fog “was enough that we were not flying.” LAPD’s flight minimums are 2 miles of visibility and an 800-foot cloud ceiling, he said.
Kurt Deetz, a former pilot for Island Express Helicopters who used to fly Bryant in the chopper, said weather conditions on Sunday morning “not good at all.”
Deetz said that it appears the helicopter was travelling very fast at the time of impact, about 160 mph. After a 40-minute flight, Deetz added, the craft would have had about 800 pounds of fuel on board. “That’s enough to start a pretty big fire,” he said. Baseball coach John Altobelli was also killed in the crash.
“Coach Altobelli was a giant on our campus — a beloved teacher, coach, colleague and friend. This is a tremendous loss for our campus community,” OCC President Angelica Suarez said in a statement.
The doomed helicopter was was headed for Bryant’s Mamba Academy in Thousand Oaks for basketball practice Initial reports claimed five had been killed, but the death toll was later raised to nine – including the pilot. The cause of the crash remains under investigation, but has mainly been attributed to the bad and dangerous weather.
Los Angeles Police Department’s Air Support Division grounded its helicopters and didn’t fly until later in the afternoon, department spokesman Josh Rubenstein said. “The weather situation did not meet our minimum standards for flying,” Rubenstein said. The fog “was enough that we were not flying.” LAPD’s flight minimums are 2 miles of visibility and an 800-foot cloud ceiling, he said.
“For 20 seasons, Kobe showed us what is possible when remarkable talent blends with an absolute devotion to winning,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement Sunday. “He was generous with the wisdom he acquired and saw it as his mission to share with future generations of players.”
GENIUS
Bryant and Gianna are survived by his wife Vanessa and their three other daughters Natalia, Bianca and Capri. A basketball genius who was ranked the best in the country right from high school, he spent his entire 20-year career with the LA Lakers, winning five NBA championships before retiring in 2016 News of his death sent shockwaves around the world as dozens of celebrities paid tribute on social media. Former president Obama paid tributes to him in a tweet saying: 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.
Bryant was the son of former NBA player Joe Bryant and attended Lower Merion High School in Pennsylvania, where he was recognised as the top high-school basketball player in the country. Upon graduation, he was selected by the Charlotte Hornets with the 13th overall pick before being subsequently being traded to the Lakers. Bryant, who once had a feud with Shaquille O’Neal, but would later refer to him as his older brother, led the Lakers to three consecutive NBA championships from 2000 to 2002. Bryant leaves behind over $2 billion in assets, with investments in dozens of technology, media and data companies. Bryant Stibel claims at least 10 successful exits, including Dell and Alibaba. It also has investments in Fortnite creator Epic Games, digital payment company Klarna and household products firm The Honest Company.
h. After a 40-minute flight, Deetz added, the craft would have had about 800 pounds of fuel on board. “That’s enough to start a pretty big fire,” he said
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