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Why did the helicopter carrying Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna and seven others crash into a fog-covered hillside in Calabasas a year ago, killing all on board?
The National Transportation Safety Board on Tuesday will make a probable cause finding and give recommendations to those who regulate the sky to avoid a repeat of the Jan. 26, 2020, crash. The deadly crash not only unleashed a tidal wave of grief but a plethora of lawsuits and congressional efforts to legislate for better helicopter safety.
In the year since, Vanessa Bryant, Kobe’s widow and Gianna’s mother, and other passengers’ families have in court accused pilot Ara Zobayan and Island Express of flying in dangerous weather conditions. The helicopter operator has in turn pointed the finger at the air traffic controllers and at the weather as an act of God.
FAIRFIELD-SUISUN, CALIFORNIA
The final hours of Kobe Bryant’s life: An oral history, 1 year later [Los Angeles Times :: BC-BRYANT-DEATH-EEDITION:MCT]
A year ago, Kobe Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others boarded a Sikorsky S-76B helicopter at John Wayne Airport in Orange County. They were headed to a youth basketball tournament at the Mamba Sports Academy (“Mamba” was later removed from the name) in Thousand Oaks. Kobe was coaching Gianna’s team. What happened on that Sunday morning flight, in the fog-shrouded hills above Calabasas, would shock the world.
5:24 p.m.
Text message thread between Patti Taylor, operations manager at OC Helicopters, Island Express Helicopters pilot Ara Zobayan, and others.