Investigators found that Kobe Bryant’s helicopter did not appear to have any engine failure prior to the crash that killed Bryant, his daughter Gianna, and seven others.
The National Transportation Safety Board released the information Friday as it continues to investigate the crash. Bryant, 41, was traveling in conditions too dangerous for local police and sheriffs’ offices to put their own helicopters in the air.
Mechanical failure was unlikely from the outset of the investigation: The helicopter Bryant used had twin engines. The helicopter circled the Hollywood Burbank Airport in California for 15 minutes before flying off and crashing into a mountain at 185 mph minutes later.
“All the signs point to a [controlled flight into terrain], which is when an aircraft under the complete control of a pilot is inadvertently flown into the land, sea, or a building,” an aviation source said about the crash.
Bryant’s pilot, Ara Zobayan, 50, was not legally allowed to fly in low visibility because the charter company he worked for was not certified. Bryant and Gianna’s public memorial will be held Feb. 24 in the Staples Center.
