As more and more details surface regarding the helicopter crash that took the lives of Kobe Bryant, his daughter and seven others, the National Transportation Safety Board provided a key update on what may have caused the crash. A recently updated investigative report from the NTSB says though the cause of the crash hasn’t yet been determined, there were no signs of an engine failure.
While there is no certain cause of the crash, it had been revealed that the weather that morning in Santa Ana certainly could’ve played a role. Kobe Bryant, his daughter and the six other passengers aboard the helicopter were on their way to a youth basketball tournament when the weather became unsuitable for flight. Regardless, Bryant’s pilot, Ara Zobayan, was granted special clearance to fly those passengers that day but the fog and lack of visibility certainly played a role in the helicopter crashing against a hillside sometime before noon local time.
Bryant was no stranger to traveling via helicopter, as he took flights frequently to and from practices and games during his NBA career with the Los Angeles Lakers. Bryant and his family continued utilizing the helicopter even after his retirement from basketball in 2016.
A veteran pilot with years of aviary experience, all signs continue to point to Zobayan flying into the clouds and ultimately losing control of the helicopter without any failure from the engine. While the NTSB will continue to provide updates as their research continues, the final findings of the investigation aren’t expected for at least a few more months or maybe even a year from now.
