Investigation Reveals New Details On Kobe Bryant’s Crash

Lakers legend Kobe Bryant lost his life in a helicopter crash. He was traveling with his daughter Gianna and seven others, including the pilot. The investigation has revealed new details on the crash that killed Kobe.

The National Transportation Safety Board released a preliminary report on the investigation. The 11-page report revealed details about the aircraft. The engine was fully operational at the time of the crash.

“The instrument panel was destroyed and most instruments were displaced from their panel mounts. Flight controls were fragmented and fire damaged.”

According to this, there was a “post-crash fire.” Mechanical failure didn’t cause the crash. There was a lot of damage, but investigators recovered the engines for further examination.

A witness provided information valuable for the investigation and the crash that killed Kobe

There’s also an account from a witness. The person said the hillside was “surrounded by mist.”

“He said he began to hear the sound of a helicopter, which he described as appropriate for a helicopter flying while in a powered condition. He perceived the sound getting louder and saw a blue and white helicopter emerge from the clouds passing from left to right directly to his left.

“He judged it to be moving fast, traveling on a forward and descending trajectory. It started to roll to the left such that he caught a glimpse of its belly. He observed it for one to two seconds, before it impacted terrain about 50 feet below his position.

 “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.”

Investigators recovered pieces of electronic equipment and “a number of personal electronic devices.”

The team hopes to reveal more details about the crash. They won’t reach a conclusion for a year. It will be a long process.

Families of victims are arranging memorials. Kobe’s wife, Vanessa, sad there will be a public memorial service for Kobe and their daughter on Feb. 24 at the Staples Center. We don’t have much information about the services. The family will reveal more details in the next couple of weeks. We send our thoughts and prayers to the families.