2020 Calabasas helicopter crash

(right), former Los Angeles Lakers player, being interviewed by Iván Kasanzew 11 days before the crash On Sunday, January 26, 2020, at approximately 9:06 a.m PST (17:06 UTC), eight passengers and one pilot departed from John Wayne Airport (SNA) in Orange County, California, in a 1991 Sikorsky S-76B helicopter, registration N72EX. They were heading to a basketball game at Bryant's Mamba Sports Academy in Newbury Park, where he was scheduled to coach his daughter's team. Flight history records showed that the helicopter had flown the same journey the day before without incident to Camarillo Airport (CMA), a major general aviation airport about 20 minutes by car from Mamba Sports Academy. The previous day's flight had taken only 30 minutes; in contrast, driving from Bryant's home in Newport Beach to the academy would have taken at least 2 hours. The report concluded that, at the moment of the accident, the estimated visibility ranges were between . Air Support Division rules require at least of visibility and an cloud ceiling. Bryant's celebrity status would not have given the helicopter priority in that airspace. before granting it permission to proceed into the controlled airspace around Burbank Airport. The helicopter climbed to an altitude of AMSL, SCT made its first contact with Zobayan at 9:40 a.m. (17:40 UTC), confirming the helicopter's altitude and continued operation under VFR conditions; SCT informed Zobayan that at the aircraft's current altitude and position, they would lose communication and radar contact shortly, advising him to "squawk VFR" (transmit transponder code 1200) until he could contact Camarillo on the radio. before it struck a hillside at an elevation of approximately ; the aircraft's altitude at the last recorded ADS-B signal (9:45:36 a.m.) was . signal; the drone was deployed by NTSB to duplicate the flight path of N72EX. Impact and emergency response The helicopter crashed and caught fire in Calabasas, California, near the intersection of Las Virgenes Road and Willow Glen Street, as reported by a 9-1-1 emergency call at 9:47 a.m. (17:47 UTC). on a hillside behind the headquarters of the Las Virgenes Municipal Water District. The hillside is public land managed by both the water district and another government agency known as the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority and forms part of a small valley that also happens to be the upper end of Malibu Canyon. The crash started a bush fire that was difficult to extinguish due to the presence of magnesium (which reacts with oxygen and water). Los Angeles County Fire Department firefighters responded to the scene and by 10:30 a.m. they extinguished the fire. The debris from the crash was scattered on steep terrain over a field estimated to extend . Based on examinations by the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner, all nine occupants died from blunt trauma. ==Aircraft==

The helicopter was a Sikorsky S-76B built in 1991, now registered N72EX. It was owned by Island Express Holding Corporation, based in Fillmore, California. Until 2015, it had been owned by the government of the state of Illinois, which used it to transport governors and other officials. The state flew the helicopter as N761LL from 2007 to 2015, when it was put up for sale for $515,161. It was not clear who owned the helicopter before 2007. According to Sikorsky, this type of helicopter was "originally built for the rigorous demands of the offshore oil & gas transportation", and has had a relatively strong safety record since it first flew in 1977. The passenger compartment was converted from a configuration seating twelve to eight after the sale to Island Express. The helicopter was also not equipped with a terrain awareness and warning system (TAWS); although the NTSB recommended that all helicopters designed to carry six or more passenger seats be equipped with a TAWS after a 2004 S-76A crash, the FAA did not enforce the recommendation. Bryant's company had chartered the helicopter from Island Express, via broker OC Helicopters (OCH). Bryant had started using Island Express in 2015, and Zobayan was his preferred pilot. ==Reporting==

(US 101) in order to exit to the lower left corner. The operations manager of OC Helicopters called the vice president of Island Express around 9:49 a.m., asking for the current location of the helicopter, as the flight tracking application Spidertracks had stopped tracking at 9:45 a.m. The vice president called the general manager of Island Express, who was unable to reach the pilot over VHF radio, and Island Express activated their Emergency Response Plan at 9:58 a.m. The company launched another helicopter to the site of the last tracked position from the Queensway heliport (in Long Beach) at 10:22 a.m., but the later flight was recalled at 10:27 a.m. after a crash had been confirmed at the site. At 11:24 a.m., less than two hours after the crash, TMZ was the first news source to confirm Bryant's death. At 2:30 p.m., the Los Angeles County Sheriff and Los Angeles County Fire Department held a joint press conference detailing initial aspects of the crash. A "Go Team" consisting of 18 people, including specialists and investigators from the NTSB, arrived in the evening. Sheriff Villanueva urged people to stay away because people had flooded into residential neighborhoods around the crash site and the traffic was getting in the way of responders. The FAA imposed a no-fly zone around the crash site up to an altitude of at the request of Bryant's wife, Vanessa, in order to protect the victims' privacy. and prevent access by souvenir hunters. It was later reported that Los Angeles County sheriff deputies had taken and shared unauthorized graphic photos of the crash scene and were ordered by Sheriff Villanueva to delete the photographs to avoid discipline. The deletion of these photos led the Sheriff Civilian Oversight Commission to question whether that amounted to a cover-up. It was reported the following day that the pilot was told that he was at a "too low level for flight following", which he had apparently requested, by air traffic controllers moments before the helicopter crashed into the hillside. This means that the helicopter was too low to be tracked by air traffic control, but does not necessarily mean that it was too low to fly safely. By January 28, all nine bodies had been recovered from the crash site by the Medical Examiner-Coroner. The bodies of Kobe Bryant and three others were identified through fingerprints on January 28, and the five other bodies were identified on January 30 after DNA testing and analysis. Autopsies were conducted on January 28. By February 1, the Medical Examiner-Coroner had released the bodies of most of the victims to their families, including the Bryants. ==Legal actions==

Against Island Express On February 24, 2020, Vanessa Bryant, Bryant's wife and Gianna's mother, filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Island Express, the helicopter company that was transporting the eight passengers, as well as the heirs of the estate of Zobayan, the pilot. Island Express reiterated that Bryant was aware of the risks and disavowed responsibility, calling the crash "an act of God." Berge Zobayan, Ara's brother, responded to the original lawsuit in May, saying that Bryant was aware of the risks and faulted the negligence of the passengers. In August 2020, Judge Virginia Keeny denied a motion filed by Zobayan's estate for a change of venue; the suit was filed in Los Angeles Superior Court and already had been assigned to a court in Van Nuys. Bryant amended her suit in September, naming OC Helicopters as an additional defendant, alleging the owner had checked and monitored weather conditions during the fatal flight. The Mauser and Altobelli families filed suit against Island Express in April, and the Chester family followed suit in May. Island Express filed a cross-complaint lawsuit against two SCT air traffic controllers working for the FAA in August 2020, stating their "series of erroneous acts and/or omissions" caused the crash. California passed AB2655 in September 2020, which states first responders who take unauthorized photographs of victim(s) of a crime or accident outside their job duties can be cited with a misdemeanor offense, punishable by a fine of up to per instance. Vanessa Bryant filed suit against the sheriff's office over the sharing of crash scene photographs. Mauser's family filed a similar lawsuit against the sheriff's office in December. United States District Court Judge John F. Walter ruled the names of the deputies suspended for misconduct could be released to the public in March 2021. On January 5, 2022, U.S. District Judge John F. Walter denied the county's motion to dismiss and set a trial date. During the trial in August 2022, it was alleged a deputy sheriff referred to Bryant's dead body as a "pile of meat". The jury sided with the Bryant family in a unanimous verdict, finding the defendants liable for invasion of privacy and infliction of emotional distress; the jury awarded Vanessa Bryant $16 million in damages, and co-plaintiff Chris Chester (whose wife and daughter were killed in the crash) $15 million. ==NTSB investigation==

A spokesperson for the National Transportation Safety Board said on January 31 that Island Express Helicopters, which owned the helicopter that crashed, was not certified to fly in foggy conditions. On January 30, the wreckage of the helicopter was transported from Los Angeles to Phoenix, Arizona, for further analysis by NTSB investigators. However, the secure perimeter remained in place around the crash site, On February 7, the NTSB released an "investigative update" regarding the crash. Preliminary findings from the NTSB update showed that there was no evidence of engine failure. The report indicated that "viewable sections of the engines showed no evidence of an uncontained or catastrophic internal failure" On February 9, 2021, the NTSB held a meeting to determine the probable cause of the crash. The Board concluded that Zobayan had flown into thick clouds, contrary to VFR requirements; the resulting spatial disorientation and loss of control led to the crash. Cited as likely contributing causes were self-induced pressure by the pilot to complete the flight and the inadequate oversight of Island Express over its safety management process. Even if the helicopter had been equipped with a terrain awareness and warning system, it was not likely to have helped to avoid the crash due to the pilot's disorientation. The "probable cause" reads: ==Memorials==

Around 200 people gathered at the foot of the hill close to the crash, with many wearing Bryant's jersey and holding basketballs. People also formed an impromptu memorial at the Staples Center, the home arena of the Los Angeles Lakers (the team which Bryant had played for during his entire 20-year NBA career, from 1996 to 2016) just hours before the arena was scheduled to host the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards. During the ceremony, host Alicia Keys and Boyz II Men performed "It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday" in tribute to Bryant, and other performers, including Lil Nas X, Lizzo, Run-DMC, Aerosmith and DJ Khaled, incorporated tributes to Bryant in their performances. Bryant's two retired jerseys hanging in the rafters of Staples Center were illuminated by spotlight. A week after Bryant's death, Staples Center staff began to clean up the makeshift memorial outside the arena, but promised to catalog, pack, and ship all nonperishable items to his family. Among the items thus recovered were 1,350 basketballs, as well as "25,000 candles, 5,000 signs or letters, 500 stuffed animals, 350 pairs of shoes and 14 banners." illuminated in Los Angeles Lakers colors on January 30 as a memorial to Bryant Landmarks around the world, including the Los Angeles International Airport, Madison Square Garden, the Empire State Building and the Santa Ana Water Tower in Bryant's home of Orange County, CA were lit purple and gold in Bryant's memory. On February 2, the world's tallest building, Burj Khalifa, lit up with images in tribute to Bryant and his daughter. The display was arranged by the Executive Chairman of Dubai Multi Commodities Centre (DMCC) Ahmed Sultan Bin Sulayem. On February 7, Bryant and his daughter were buried in a private funeral in Pacific View Memorial Park in the Corona del Mar neighborhood of Newport Beach. Two days later, Bryant was also featured, alongside other recently deceased figures from the film industry, in the In Memoriam montage at the 92nd Academy Awards on February 9. A memorial celebration of Bryant and his daughter was held at Staples Center on February 24, 2020. On February 10, a memorial service was held inside Angel Stadium in Anaheim, California, honoring John Altobelli, his wife Keri and daughter Alyssa. On July 18, the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences posthumously awarded Bryant a Governor's Award at the 72nd Los Angeles Emmy Awards in recognition of "his legacy of philanthropy, community building and inspiration that extended beyond the basketball court." Composer John Williams, whom Bryant worked with on his animated short film Dear Basketball, accepted the award on his behalf. On January 26, 2022, on the second anniversary of the death of Bryant and his daughter, sculptor Dan Medina revealed a bronze statue of the two at the crash site in Calabasas, where it was displayed for one day. Medina said he hoped to create a larger, life-sized version of the statue that could be displayed in downtown Los Angeles, which became the premise for the Statue of Kobe Bryant and Statue of Kobe and Gianna Bryant. On March 12, 2022, Orange Coast College renamed their baseball stadium to honor John Altobelli. == Reactions ==

Basketball NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement: Gregg Downer, Bryant's high school basketball coach, was "completely shocked and devastated" by the news and was initially too distraught to speak to the media. Downer coached Bryant at Lower Merion High School in suburban Philadelphia from 1992 to 1996 and won the state championship with Bryant in 1996. Michael Jordan, to whom Bryant was often compared, said in a statement: "Words can't describe the pain I am feeling. I loved Kobe he was like a little brother to me... We used to talk often, and I will miss those conversations very much. He was a fierce competitor, one of the greats of the game and a creative force." Shaquille O'Neal, Bryant's Lakers teammate from 1996 to 2004 and with whom he shared a friendship and later a heavily publicized feud, said that he was "sick" and "had no words to express the pain." Several NBA teams paid tribute to Bryant during their games that night with intentional on-court violations referring to his uniform numbers: violations of the 24-second shot clock and the rule requiring teams to advance the ball past midcourt within eight seconds. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar posted a video on Twitter expressing his condolences. LeBron James, who had passed Bryant on the list of NBA career scoring leaders the previous night and had spoken to Bryant on the morning of the accident, posted a statement on Instagram, saying "I'm heartbroken and devastated ... I promise you I'll continue your legacy." Jerry West, Laker great and general manager who had orchestrated the deal to acquire Bryant for the Lakers, said that "I think the thing that resonates with me most... One person with one name Kobe you wouldn't have to mention his last name" and that it was the "saddest day of his life" to learn that the families in the helicopter crash had died. Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban said "that the number 24 will never again be worn by a Dallas Maverick." Several NBA players previously wearing Bryant's uniform numbers decided to change to new numbers in honor of Bryant. The NBA later postponed the Los Angeles Lakers' game against the Los Angeles Clippers that had been scheduled for January 28, two days after the accident. The game was made up on July 30, the second game of the NBA's return from their suspension caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in North America. It was originally planned to be made up on April 9, but was postponed again due to the suspension. The game ended in a Lakers 103–101 comeback victory. On January 30, the first game after the crash was played at Staples Center between the Clippers and the Sacramento Kings, the Clippers honored Bryant before the game by having Paul George, a Los Angeles county native, narrate a video tribute. The Clippers, who play in the same arena as the Lakers but cover up their rivals' banners when they are the designated home team, uncovered Bryant's 8 and 24 retired jersey banners as part of the tribute. The following day, the Lakers played their first game after the crash against the Portland Trail Blazers. Ahead of the match, the franchise paid tribute to Bryant and all who lost their lives in the crash with a pre-game ceremony. Performers included Usher, who sang "Amazing Grace" and Boyz II Men, who sang the National Anthem. James delivered a speech to the crowd in Bryant's memory and every player in the Lakers' starting lineup was announced with Bryant's name. At halftime, Wiz Khalifa and Charlie Puth reunited to perform their hit "See You Again". The Lakers went on to wear a patch with Bryant's initials for the rest of the season and added the initials to the back ends of their home court surface. Bryant's jersey numbers were added to the court sidelines, with his #8 near the Lakers bench, and his #24 near the visiting team's bench. The game was the second-most watched game in ESPN history, averaging 4.41 million viewers. On February 15, commissioner Adam Silver announced that the NBA All-Star Game MVP Award would be renamed to the NBA All-Star Game Kobe Bryant Most Valuable Player in honor of Bryant. Also, in the 2020 NBA All-Star Game on February 16, each player on Team Giannis wore the jersey number 24, in honor of Kobe, while each player on Team LeBron wore the jersey number 2, in honor of Gianna. Soon after the crash, the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield put Bryant's name on the sign in front of their headquarters as fans left candles and flowers on the large statue of James Naismith in front of the entrance. A vigil and a moment of silence was held inside the shrine with many fans of Bryant and the Lakers in attendance, despite it being in a strongly Celtics fans region. In addition to the Hall of Fame turning the thousands of lights of the large sphere of the shrine itself purple and gold numerous other office buildings in downtown Springfield did as well. Several billboards on Interstate 90 in Massachusetts were also dedicated to the memory of Bryant. The Hall of Fame went on to posthumously induct Bryant as a member of its Class of 2020. In May 2020, almost four months after the crash, Mamba Sports Academy reverted its name to Sports Academy by dropping the "Mamba" nickname out of respect for Bryant. After the Lakers won the 2020 NBA Finals, they dedicated the championship to Bryant. Other sports Many Major League Baseball, National Football League, and National Hockey League players, teams and other organizations memorialized Bryant in the immediate aftermath of the crash. News of Bryant's death broke just before kickoff of the 2020 Pro Bowl, with the players finding out in their locker rooms. Shortly after kickoff, Bryant's death was announced in the stadium and a moment of silence was held. ABC and ESPN broke away from their coverage of the event to cover the crash, and the player interviews focused heavily on the players' connections to, and respect for, Bryant. During pregame ceremonies for Super Bowl LIV the following week, players and coaches for both teams stood at both 24 yard lines, Bryant's number, during a tribute to Bryant and the other victims. With coverage of Bryant's death becoming a part of the Pro Bowl coverage, it was decided to end the Disney XD simulcast with nine minutes remaining in the second quarter and switch to a marathon of Big City Greens. WWE paid tribute to Bryant during its 2020 Royal Rumble pay-per-view later that night, as did All Elite Wrestling during that week's AEW Dynamite in Cleveland with the Southern California-based stable SoCal Uncensored wearing Bryant jerseys to the ring, and many professional wrestlers expressed their condolences for the Bryant family. Many ATP Tour tennis players paid tribute to Bryant during the 2020 Australian Open, including Novak Djokovic, who noted: "He was one of the greatest athletes of all time he inspired myself and many other people around the world." AC Milan, Bryant's favorite soccer team growing up in Italy, wore black armbands in memory of him in their Coppa Italia match against Torino on January 28, 2020. A minute of silence was also held before the match. Many soccer players and teams paid tribute to Bryant during matches and on social media. On January 26, 2020, after scoring his second goal from penalty spot against Lille OSC, Neymar paid tribute to Bryant by striking out four fingers of his right and two fingers of his left hand to mark number 24 towards the camera and then by offering a prayer to the heavens. On February 27, 2020, before Los Angeles FC's home match against Club León in the CONCACAF Champions League, LAFC fans unveiled a tifo honoring the Bryants; team captain Carlos Vela also wore an armband with Bryant's initials and uniform numbers. On January 27, Super League Greece club AEL retired number 24 from their roster indefinitely. The NASCAR Cup Series' 2020 Auto Club 400 at Auto Club Speedway, located in nearby Fontana, California, featured various tributes from drivers and teams. Ryan Blaney and William Byron drove cars with special paint schemes honoring Bryant, with the former's being sponsored by Bodyarmor SuperDrink, a company of which Bryant was an investor. Sales of toy replicas of the cars were donated to philanthropic organizations connected to Bryant, with Byron's going to After-School All-Stars and Blaney's to MambaOnThree.org. The track also painted a number 24 decal in the infield, while NASCAR conducted a pre-race ceremony to honor the victims. The following week's PGA Tour event was the Waste Management Open, an event that annually sees some of golf's most raucous crowds, particularly on the 16th hole. Several players, including Justin Thomas and Tony Finau, wore Bryant jerseys while playing the hole. On Sunday, the pin was placed 24 paces from the front and 8 paces from the left side in honor of Bryant's jersey numbers. Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton posted on Instagram and Twitter paying tribute to Bryant, along with several other former and current drivers, while Renault F1 driver Daniel Ricciardo wore a purple racing helmet with "KB24" below the visor during the 2020 Formula One pre-season test. Chinese debutant Zhou Guanyu chose one of Bryant's jersey numbers, 24, as his race number to honour him. In popular culture American rappers Jay Electronica and Jay-Z recorded the somber track "A.P.I.D.T.A." on the night of the helicopter crash, later released as the final track on Jay Electronica's debut album A Written Testimony on March 13, 2020. ESPN's Elle Duncan shared an emotional story while she hosted the SportsCenter show on January 27, 2020, about how proud Bryant was of being a father to his daughters; Duncan recalled, amongst other things, Bryant telling her: "I would have five more girls if I could. I'm a girl dad." Duncan's story went viral and inspired other fathers across the world to celebrate their relationships with their daughters, using the hashtag #GirlDad. American comedian, actor and writer Ari Shaffir caused outrage with his video response on Twitter to Bryant's death. In it, Shaffir celebrated Bryant's death and claimed that Bryant was a rapist. In the video, Shaffir said "Kobe Bryant died 23 years too late today, he got away with rape because all the Hollywood liberals who attack comedy enjoy rooting for the Lakers more than they dislike rape. Big ups to the hero who forgot to gas up his chopper. I hate the Lakers. What a great day." A New York comedy club where Shaffir was scheduled to perform canceled his performance after it received phone threats over Shaffir's video. Kanye West dedicated the song "24" from his album Donda to Bryant. The accident was featured on season 22 of the Canadian documentary series Mayday, in the episode titled "Loss of a Legend". ==See also==