More details are coming out about the crash that killed Kobe Bryant. While the cause is still unknown, the weather conditions at the time of the crash are being called into question. The Los Angeles Times reports:
The investigation into the helicopter crash that killed Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna and seven others aboard a Sikorsky S-76B will probably focus on foggy weather conditions and potential mechanical problems, aviation experts and pilots said Sunday.
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.
The identities of the nine people killed have all been released. A father, mother, and daughter were among those who died, John, Keri, and Alyssa Altobelli. John was a baseball coach at Orange Coast College. His daughter Alyssa played on the same basketball team as Kobe’s daughter Gianna.
In addition to Kobe Bryant and his daughter, Gianna, @CBSNews has identified the other victims of the deadly helicopter crash in California:
John Altobelli
Keri Altobelli
Alyssa Altobelli
Sarah Chester
Payton Chester
Ara Zobayan
Christina Mauserhttps://t.co/o42tVC5NRn pic.twitter.com/EKadKjcNPu— CBS This Morning (@CBSThisMorning) January 27, 2020
Christina Mauser, the assistant coach for Gianna Bryant’s basketball team, was among those killed. Her husband spoke with the Today Show.
“I’m scared, I think, more than anything… She was warm. She was incredibly bright.” Matt Mauser, husband of Christina Mauser, who is one of the victims in LA-area helicopter crash, remembers his wife and their friend Kobe Bryant pic.twitter.com/qhohGVzeGl
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) January 27, 2020
Meanwhile, tributes are coming in from around the world for Bryant.
Kobe was so much more than an athlete, he was a family man. That was what we had most in common. I would hug his children like they were my own and he would embrace my kids like they were his. His baby girl Gigi was born on the same day as my youngest daughter Me’Arah. pic.twitter.com/BHBPN5Wq8V
— SHAQ (@SHAQ) January 26, 2020
Most people will remember Kobe as the magnificent athlete who inspired a whole generation of basketball players. But I will always remember him as a man who was much more than an athlete. pic.twitter.com/9EZuwk8wrV
— Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (@kaj33) January 26, 2020
“Two of the most charismatic players in the game.” @scottiepippen compares the legacies of Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant as he weighs in on the surprising loss of the NBA All-Star and how much he reminded him of his former teammate. https://t.co/vEO3XHKgGP pic.twitter.com/EAIOTOeciL
— Good Morning America (@GMA) January 27, 2020
ESPN host Stephen A. Smith covered Kobe for years, watch above as he remembers the 41-year-old.
