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| Live Updates on Death of Kobe Bryant: Helicopter Dropped Quickly, Official Says | |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| The helicopter that crashed into a foggy mountain near Calabasas, Calif., on Sunday, killing the N.B.A. legend Kobe Bryant and eight other people, fell quickly in what an investigator said was a “high-energy impact crash.” | |
| Jennifer Homendy, one of five board members of the National Transportation Safety Board, said on Tuesday afternoon that investigators had recovered an iPad and a cellphone from the wreckage, which was strewn across more than 500 feet on the side of a rugged hill. | |
| Photographs from the scene, published by the N.T.S.B., showed several heaps of tangled metal sitting on the side of the hill. | |
| The helicopter climbed to 2,300 feet before descending at a rate of more than 33 feet per second, or about 23 miles per hour, Homendy said. It is unclear why the helicopter fell at that speed, which Homendy said was too fast for a standard landing. It was also traveling forward at about 152 miles per hour just before it crashed, according to radar data published online by FlightAware. | |
| The helicopter may have missed clearing the top of the hill by 20 to 30 feet, Homendy said. | |
| The iPad on the helicopter had the ForeFlight application installed, which pilots can use while flying to review flight plans and keep up with weather briefings. N.T.S.B. investigators sent the iPad and cellphone to the agency’s headquarters to be analyzed. | |
| The investigators also loaded pieces of the crashed helicopter into large white bags and used a helicopter to move them onto a truck, which will take them to a secure location, Homendy said. | |
| Ara Zobayan, 50, who was flying the helicopter that crashed, had logged more than 8,200 hours of flight time. At least 1,250 of those hours were in the Sikorsky S-76B, the model of helicopter he was flying on Sunday to take Bryant and seven other passengers to a basketball tournament. | |
| The day before the crash, Zobayan had made the same trip from John Wayne Airport in Orange County, where Bryant lived, to Camarillo, near the Mamba Sports Academy in Thousand Oaks, where the basketball tournament was being held. Homendy said Zobayan had used a more direct route for the roughly 90-mile trip northwest, and that the skies were clear. | |
| Homendy said the N.T.S.B.’s investigation would have been easier if the helicopter had either a cockpit voice recorder or a flight data recorder, neither of which was on board. She said that the helicopter was not required to have either type of recorder, but that the N.T.S.B. had recommended several times that helicopters like the one that crashed carry the devices as well as a terrain warning system that alerts pilots when they are too close to the ground. | |
| Ever since the authorities reached the rugged hillside near Calabasas, Calif., investigators have been meticulously combing the crash site, using drone technology to survey the scene and manpower to delicately pick through the strewn, charred wreckage. | |
| On Tuesday, the Los Angeles County coroner’s office announced that the remains of all nine people who died in the crash had been recovered. Three of the bodies were recovered on Sunday afternoon, officials said, but it took another day to locate the remaining six. | |
| The authorities have publicly identified four of the deceased victims, including Kobe Bryant, based on fingerprints, but the names of all nine people have been released by family and friends. | |
| David Lyudmirsky is used to helicopters flying over his home in Glendale, he said, but the chopper on Sunday was larger and flying lower than they usually do. He felt and heard this one from inside his house, where he was watching cartoons with his children. | David Lyudmirsky is used to helicopters flying over his home in Glendale, he said, but the chopper on Sunday was larger and flying lower than they usually do. He felt and heard this one from inside his house, where he was watching cartoons with his children. |
| Lyudmirsky, a general contractor, stepped outside at about 9:28 a.m. and recorded the helicopter as it circled overhead. The helicopter was probably Bryant’s, which circled for 12 minutes near Glendale at that time as it waited for approval from air traffic controllers to continue its route through foggy skies. | Lyudmirsky, a general contractor, stepped outside at about 9:28 a.m. and recorded the helicopter as it circled overhead. The helicopter was probably Bryant’s, which circled for 12 minutes near Glendale at that time as it waited for approval from air traffic controllers to continue its route through foggy skies. |
| Less than 20 minutes after Lyudmirsky recorded the video, Bryant’s helicopter crashed into a hillside in Calabasas, killing the N.B.A. legend, his daughter and seven other people. | |
| “The helicopter was circling really, really low, like you could throw something at it,” Lyudmirsky said in an interview. “Before I started filming, it was even lower — it was really close, and that’s unusual.” | |
| Data published by FlightAware, an online aircraft tracker, shows that the helicopter’s altitude dipped below 700 feet at that time. | Data published by FlightAware, an online aircraft tracker, shows that the helicopter’s altitude dipped below 700 feet at that time. |
| The video shows a cloudy sky, and Lyudmirsky said he noticed the fog hanging over Glendale. | The video shows a cloudy sky, and Lyudmirsky said he noticed the fog hanging over Glendale. |
| During the flight on Sunday morning, the fog was so thick that the pilot had to get special visual clearance from air traffic controllers before continuing on the route. | During the flight on Sunday morning, the fog was so thick that the pilot had to get special visual clearance from air traffic controllers before continuing on the route. |
| The Los Angeles Police Department had grounded its helicopters, but the pilot was licensed to fly in inclement weather and continued toward Bryant’s Mamba Academy in Thousand Oaks, Calif. | The Los Angeles Police Department had grounded its helicopters, but the pilot was licensed to fly in inclement weather and continued toward Bryant’s Mamba Academy in Thousand Oaks, Calif. |
| The helicopter lost contact with controllers at 9:45 a.m., and two minutes later, witnesses called 911 and reported hearing the sound of whirring blades and a fire on the hillside. The aircraft had smashed into a hill at 1,085 feet. | The helicopter lost contact with controllers at 9:45 a.m., and two minutes later, witnesses called 911 and reported hearing the sound of whirring blades and a fire on the hillside. The aircraft had smashed into a hill at 1,085 feet. |
| The investigation, which the N.T.S.B. is leading, will include a review of all conditions, including weather, Homendy said. | The investigation, which the N.T.S.B. is leading, will include a review of all conditions, including weather, Homendy said. |
| “We look at man, machine and the environment, and weather is just a small portion of that,” she said, adding that investigators would review records and evidence tied to the pilot, his company, the helicopter and its instruments, and more. | “We look at man, machine and the environment, and weather is just a small portion of that,” she said, adding that investigators would review records and evidence tied to the pilot, his company, the helicopter and its instruments, and more. |
| Bryant spent the day before his death like so many that preceded it: immersed in basketball. After a 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers, he was the coach of Gianna’s team, which was competing in the Mamba Cup tournament at Bryant’s sports academy. | |
| Security guards had to keep the court roped off when the Mambas were playing, and fans of Bryant flocked to the bleachers to watch. | |
| Brady and Shane Rosenthal, 13, who play for Team Edge, showed up before their game to watch the Mambas warm up, particularly Gianna and Mackenly Randolph, daughter of Zach Randolph, an two-time N.B.A. All-Star. | |
| “Kobe is my idol,” said Shane, who bought a Mamba Cup sweatshirt after Bryant’s death. | |
| George Rodriguez, an assistant coach for Hoop Dreams Idaho, which arrived early to watch Mr. Bryant’s team play, said, “Our girls, coming from a small town and getting to be a part of that buzz, it’s amazing.” | |
| “It’s a different setting because of the hype Kobe brings,” he added. | |
| The Lakers were scheduled to play their crosstown rivals the Clippers on Tuesday night, but the N.B.A. said that the game would be postponed. The Lakers are next scheduled to play Friday night, hosting the Portland Trail Blazers at Staples Center. | |
| About 40 miles south in Costa Mesa, Calif., Orange Coast College said it would go ahead with the opening day of its baseball season on Tuesday. The home game, against Southwestern College, was halted because of darkness with Orange Coast trailing, 7-6. | |
| Orange Coast’s longtime head baseball coach, John Altobelli, known as Alto, was killed in the helicopter crash, along with his wife, Keri, and a daughter, Alyssa. | Orange Coast’s longtime head baseball coach, John Altobelli, known as Alto, was killed in the helicopter crash, along with his wife, Keri, and a daughter, Alyssa. |
| In an interview, a pitching coach, Tim Matz, said the members of the team had decided to play the season opener as scheduled. | In an interview, a pitching coach, Tim Matz, said the members of the team had decided to play the season opener as scheduled. |
| “They as a group said, ‘No, Alto would want us out there,’” Mr. Matz said. | “They as a group said, ‘No, Alto would want us out there,’” Mr. Matz said. |
| In one of the last media interviews Bryant gave, he credited Jeanne Mastriano, one of his high school teachers, with planting the seed for one of his post-basketball interests: the written word. | |
| “She was so good and so passionate about what she was teaching about writing and storytelling,” Bryant told USA Today last week. “She firmly believed that storytelling could change the world. She opened my eyes to this passion I didn’t know existed.” | “She was so good and so passionate about what she was teaching about writing and storytelling,” Bryant told USA Today last week. “She firmly believed that storytelling could change the world. She opened my eyes to this passion I didn’t know existed.” |
| Bryant developed a lasting friendship with Mastriano, who is still teaching at his alma mater, Lower Merion High School in Ardmore, Pa. | Bryant developed a lasting friendship with Mastriano, who is still teaching at his alma mater, Lower Merion High School in Ardmore, Pa. |
| “That trust developed, and it never faltered,” Mastriano said in a telephone interview late Monday. “We managed to get through lots of years, and really were there for each other.” | “That trust developed, and it never faltered,” Mastriano said in a telephone interview late Monday. “We managed to get through lots of years, and really were there for each other.” |
| On Monday night, LeBron James posted a tribute to Bryant and his daughter Gianna on Instagram, saying he was “heartbroken and devastated.” He referred to Bryant as his brother. | On Monday night, LeBron James posted a tribute to Bryant and his daughter Gianna on Instagram, saying he was “heartbroken and devastated.” He referred to Bryant as his brother. |
| “Man I sitting here trying to write something for this post but every time I try I begin crying again just thinking about you, niece Gigi and the friendship/bond/brotherhood we had!” James wrote. He added, “My heart goes to Vanessa and the kids. I promise you I’ll continue your legacy man!” | |
| On Sunday, footage emerged of James and other Lakers teammates coming off the team plane and embracing one another. Bryant’s death came the day after James passed him on the N.B.A.’s all-time scoring list. | On Sunday, footage emerged of James and other Lakers teammates coming off the team plane and embracing one another. Bryant’s death came the day after James passed him on the N.B.A.’s all-time scoring list. |
| Separated in age by just six years, the men were friends and regarded as the heirs to Michael Jordan. Their ties had been nurtured over close to two decades, ever since the day in 2002 when Bryant and James met in Philadelphia. | |
| They eventually played alongside each other in the Olympics and were fierce rivals when they played for opposing teams in the N.B.A. But especially once Bryant retired and James moved to Los Angeles, they were known to share hugs and jokes in public. | They eventually played alongside each other in the Olympics and were fierce rivals when they played for opposing teams in the N.B.A. But especially once Bryant retired and James moved to Los Angeles, they were known to share hugs and jokes in public. |
| Bryant’s last Twitter post before his death was a message congratulating James, who had just passed him on the N.B.A.’s career scoring list. Much respect my brother,” he wrote. | Bryant’s last Twitter post before his death was a message congratulating James, who had just passed him on the N.B.A.’s career scoring list. Much respect my brother,” he wrote. |
| John Ireland, the radio play-by-play announcer for the Lakers, was aboard a transcontinental flight with the team on Sunday when word of Bryant’s death reached the jet. | John Ireland, the radio play-by-play announcer for the Lakers, was aboard a transcontinental flight with the team on Sunday when word of Bryant’s death reached the jet. |
| At first, he recalled on Monday, he thought a tweet about Bryant’s death was the result of a social media hacking. Then he saw the TMZ report that broke the news, and soon after, members of the team’s security staff confirmed the fatal helicopter crash. | At first, he recalled on Monday, he thought a tweet about Bryant’s death was the result of a social media hacking. Then he saw the TMZ report that broke the news, and soon after, members of the team’s security staff confirmed the fatal helicopter crash. |
| “Everybody became inconsolable,” Ireland said on his radio show on 710 AM in Los Angeles. “Whole plane was crying, praying that we somehow had it wrong or, because we were in a confined space, that somebody was playing a very elaborate, well-executed practical joke.” | “Everybody became inconsolable,” Ireland said on his radio show on 710 AM in Los Angeles. “Whole plane was crying, praying that we somehow had it wrong or, because we were in a confined space, that somebody was playing a very elaborate, well-executed practical joke.” |
| It fell to Frank Vogel, the head coach, to tell the players, Ireland said. The rest of the long flight, he suggested, passed in an emotional daze. | It fell to Frank Vogel, the head coach, to tell the players, Ireland said. The rest of the long flight, he suggested, passed in an emotional daze. |
| “I don’t remember the rest of the flight after that,” he said. “We still had like three and a half hours left. I just remember learning about it, sitting there, watching everybody crying.” | “I don’t remember the rest of the flight after that,” he said. “We still had like three and a half hours left. I just remember learning about it, sitting there, watching everybody crying.” |
| Fans looking to purchase Kobe Bryant merchandise might be out of luck. | Fans looking to purchase Kobe Bryant merchandise might be out of luck. |
| A search for Bryant products on Nike’s website on Tuesday turned up only a yellow-and-purple Nike gift card, bearing the Los Angeles Lakers logo. | A search for Bryant products on Nike’s website on Tuesday turned up only a yellow-and-purple Nike gift card, bearing the Los Angeles Lakers logo. |
| Some news outlets reported that Nike had pulled all Bryant gear off the site in the wake of his death on Sunday, but a Nike spokesman denied that, saying on Tuesday that the products had simply all sold out. Nike would not say whether the sold-out products would be restocked, or what would happen to planned releases of apparel tied to the star. | Some news outlets reported that Nike had pulled all Bryant gear off the site in the wake of his death on Sunday, but a Nike spokesman denied that, saying on Tuesday that the products had simply all sold out. Nike would not say whether the sold-out products would be restocked, or what would happen to planned releases of apparel tied to the star. |
| Marketing was a major part of Bryant’s identity. | |
| He endorsed, invested in and influenced numerous consumer brands, including McDonald’s, Nike and Sprite. He started a multimedia studio and sat in on marketing classes. | He endorsed, invested in and influenced numerous consumer brands, including McDonald’s, Nike and Sprite. He started a multimedia studio and sat in on marketing classes. |
| Now, Bryant’s death has the corporate community struggling to memorialize him without appearing to profit off a tragedy. | Now, Bryant’s death has the corporate community struggling to memorialize him without appearing to profit off a tragedy. |
| Companies are trying to balance the pressure to react quickly to hot topics while avoiding the missteps that followed the deaths of celebrities like David Bowie and Prince. Some brands, like Adidas, have opted for solemn tributes paired with black-and-white photos. Others, like Google, Planters and Olay, are postponing promotional Super Bowl campaigns. | Companies are trying to balance the pressure to react quickly to hot topics while avoiding the missteps that followed the deaths of celebrities like David Bowie and Prince. Some brands, like Adidas, have opted for solemn tributes paired with black-and-white photos. Others, like Google, Planters and Olay, are postponing promotional Super Bowl campaigns. |
| Several companies that decided to post about Bryant, including insurance providers and a blockchain business, have been accused by consumers of opportunism. | Several companies that decided to post about Bryant, including insurance providers and a blockchain business, have been accused by consumers of opportunism. |
| Reporting was contributed by Dave Phillips, Tim Arango, Louis Keene, Alan Blinder, Tiffany Hsu, Kevin Draper, Patrick J. Lyons, Miriam Jordan and Scott Cacciola. | |