Looks like the flying conditions out in Los Angeles were not ideal at the time of the helicopter crash that killed Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna, and seven others on Sunday morning.

As the investigation continues, numerous outlets are reporting that there was dense fog in the area where that chopper went down.

Via the Los Angeles Times:

Visibility in the region was so poor at the time of the crash, which occurred shortly before 10 a.m. in Calabasas, that the Los Angeles police and county sheriff’s departments had grounded their helicopters.

Bad weather would not necessarily have prevented Bryant’s helicopter from flying, because it should have been equipped with instruments that allow pilots to fly in inclement conditions, experts said. But if not using the instruments, the pilot would have been operating the helicopter under visual flight rules, or VFR, which require good visibility.

An audio recording of an exchange between the pilot and air traffic controllers indicates that he was flying under visual flight rules, but that could not be confirmed Sunday night. At one point, the pilot tells a controller that he is “in VFR at 1,500″ feet.

Via TMZ:


L.A. weather was extremely foggy Sunday morning, and law enforcement sources tell us even LAPD air support was grounded because of it. Flight tracker data shows Kobe’s chopper appeared to first encounter weather issues as it was above the L.A. Zoo. It circled that area at least 6 times at a very low altitude — around 875 feet — perhaps waiting for the fog to clear.

Via USA Today:

Investigators will review flight records and collect other data from the helicopter’s operator to help determine how it slammed into a hillside near Malibu, National Transportation Safety Board member Jennifer Homendy said.

But the process of gathering evidence and recovering the bodies from the wreckage will be difficult. The chopper crashed in rugged terrain and the limited roads to access the site have been flooded with onlookers, Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva said.

This model helicopter, the Sikorsky S-76B, was built with two engines and enough seating for 12 people. It’s been around since the 1970s and is commonly used by celebrities and corporate executives, according to the LA Times.

Here’s the radio communication from the flight:

Meantime, CBS News reported on the identities of the other victims:

John Altobelli was a baseball coach at Orange Coast College. Keri was his wife and Alyssa his daughter, one of Gianna Bryant’s teammates. Payton Chester was also a teammate and Sarah was her mother. Christina Mauser was a basketball coach who leaves behind a husband and three children. The pilot, Ara Zobayan, taught other pilots how to fly and was “instrument rated,” which means he was qualified to fly in foggy conditions.

The group was headed to Kobe’s “Mamba Sports Academy” for a game.