Emergency 911 phone calls on Kobe Bryant crash show witnesses concerned
about fog
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[February 05, 2020]
By Daniel Trotta
(Reuters) - Recently released emergency 911
phone calls about the helicopter crash that killed Kobe Bryant showed
witnesses were concerned about the poor visibility due to fog and revive
the tragic moment that rocked the basketball and entertainment worlds
nine days ago.
The twin-engine Sikorsky S-76B slammed into a hillside and killed all
nine people on board in an accident that still has many of the
basketball great's fans grieving, with more public memorials to come.
"It went over my head. It's thick in clouds. And then I heard a pop and
it immediately stopped," one of the witnesses called into the 911
emergency services lines, according to audio released by the Los Angeles
County Fire Department on Monday.
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"If this guy doesn't have night vision, I mean, he was, he's completely
IFR," the caller said, referring to instrument flight rules.
The pilot, Ara Zobayan, was certified to fly by IFR and a flight
instructor with more than 8,200 hours of flight time, officials said.
Zobayan had tried to climb out of a cloud layer when the aircraft banked
sharply and dropped toward the ground with a speed of more than 2,000
feet (610 meters) per minute at impact, the National Transportation
Safety Board said.
Audio recordings of air traffic control revealed the pilot requested
flight following, a type of constant monitoring, due to concerns about
visibility, but controllers said he was flying too low to be tracked.
The 911 recordings showed witnesses also had visibility on their minds.
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![](../images/020520pics/news_d9.jpg)
Personnel collect debris while working with investigators at the
helicopter crash site of NBA star Kobe Bryant in Calabasas,
California, U.S., January 28, 2020. REUTERS/Patrick T. Fallon
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"I'm walking in the trail, I could hear the plane, I think it was in
the clouds but couldn't see it. Then we just heard a 'boom' and a
dead sound and then I could see the flames," one caller said.
Another summed up events more succinctly.
"A helicopter crashed into a mountain. We heard it, and now I'm
looking at the flames," the witness said.
Bryant won five championships in his 20 seasons with the Los Angeles
Lakers, retiring as the third leading scorer in the history of the
National Basketball Association. He also won an Oscar for his short
animated film "Dear Basketball."
Bryant's 13-year-old daughter Gianna, one of her teammates, another
young friend, three of their parents and coach also died on their
way to a girls' basketball game.
The remains of all the victims were released to their families on
Monday, the Los Angeles County coroner's office said.
(Reporting by Daniel Trotta; editing by Jonathan Oatis)
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