Millions of people never met him, but the sudden death of Kobe Bryant and eight others has left a country in mourning.
The 41-year-old NBA legend died in a helicopter crash under foggy conditions in Calabasas, California. Visibility was so low Sunday morning that Los Angeles police had grounded its helicopters, spokesman Josh Rubenstein said.
The helicopter crashed into a hillside, killing all nine people on board — including Bryant’s 13-year-old daughter, Gianna. The official cause of the crash has not been determined.
As fans around the world grapple with Bryant’s death, new clues are emerging about what happened shortly before the crash.
The helicopter was operating under “special visual flight rules,” according to an air traffic control conversation with the pilot, captured by website LiveATC.net.
An SVFR clearance allows a pilot to fly in weather conditions worse than those allowed for standard visual flight rules (VFR).
The Burbank Airport control tower allowed the helicopter to proceed northeast, following the Interstate 5 highway, using the SVFR clearance.
“Maintain special VFR at or below 2,500” the pilot confirmed to the controller.
Later in the flight, the pilot apparently asked for “flight following,” a service in which controllers are in regular contract with an aircraft.
The controller was recorded telling the pilot “2 echo X-ray, you’re still too low level for flight following at this time.” That could mean the helicopter was too low to be seen on air traffic control radar.
While authorities try to determine what went wrong, investigators are struggling to find clues in difficult conditions.
“It’s a logistical nightmare in a sense because the crash site itself is not easily accessible,” Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva said.
The effort to recover the victims’ bodies has started but could take days, given the terrain and the condition of the site, Los Angeles County Chief Medical Examiner Jonathan Lucas said.
Fog blanketed the area
The crash occurred under foggy and cloudy conditions with extremely low visibility, CNN meteorologist Michael Guy said.
Pictures taken shortly after the crash showed the density of the fog.
Witnesses said the helicopter plummeted quickly before crashing on the hillside, Los Angeles County fire Capt. Tony Imbrenda said.
It was not immediately clear whether the Sikorsky S-76B helicopter radioed a distress signal, Imbrenda said.
Local authorities are working with the National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration to try to determine the cause of the crash.
Sikorsky, the helicopter manufacturer, tweeted its condolences.
“We extend our sincerest condolences to all those affected by today’s Sikorsky S-76B accident in Calabasas, California,” the company said.
“We have been in contact with the NTSB and stand ready to provide assistance and support to the investigative authorities … Safety is our top priority; if there are any actionable findings from the investigation, we will inform our S-76 customers.”
The helicopter was built in 1991 and was most recently registered to Island Express Holding Corp., according to the FAA.
Calls to Island Express were not answered Sunday.
While police have not released the names of the people on board, family members of some victims have confirmed their loved ones’ deaths. Here’s what we know:
A baseball coach, his wife and daughter
Orange Coast College (OCC) baseball coach John Altobelli, his wife, Keri, and daughter, Alyssa, were aboard the helicopter, said Altobelli’s brother, Tony Altobelli.
Gianna and Alyssa were teammates at the Mamba Academy, OCC assistant coach Ron La Ruffa told CNN, and Altobelli would often fly with his daughter to attend the games.
“There were two sides to John,” Tony Altobelli said. “People saw him on the baseball field, he’s gritty and tough as nails kind of guy but the other side of him, he was one of the biggest-hearted people you’ll meet in your life. He cared about his players, cared about his school.”
Altobelli, 56, leaves behind a son and daughter, according to an OCC Pirate Athletics news release.
“It’s hard to put into words what this loss means to the college and the athletics department,” OCC Athletics Director Jason Kehler said in a statement. “John was a tremendous coach and an even better friend. Beyond that, he was an amazing mentor to all of the students and athletes that he taught and coached. He treated them all like family and his impact will live on forever.”
Coach “Alto,” as he was known, was gearing up to begin his 28th season with the Pirates, who he helped lead to the state baseball championship last year, the release said.
Throughout his career, he stacked more than 700 wins and in 2019 was named by the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) as the ABCA/Diamond National Coach of the Year, OCC said in a statement.
He was a “giant” on the campus, OCC President Angelica Suarez said, a “beloved teacher, coach, colleague and friend.”
A coach and mother also was killed
Christina Mauser, an assistant girls basketball coach at a K-8 private school in Orange County also died in the crash.
“My kids and I are devastated,” her husband, Matt Mauser, wrote on Facebook. “We lost our beautiful wife and mom today in a helicopter crash. Please respect our privacy. Thank you for all the well wishes they mean so much.”
The mayor of Costa Mesa — about 40 miles from Los Angeles — also tweeted about Mauser.
“This devastating tragedy gets worse by the hour,” Mayor Katrina Foley wrote on Twitter. “So much pain for so many local families. Our hearts are broken & grieving for the families impacted.”
US Rep. Harley E. Rouda of California called the loss of life “incalculable.”
“Today our neighbors lost parents, children, friends, coaches and heroes,” he said. “Orange County is grieving, but we will find solace and purpose in the example they left behind.”
Kobe’s daughter followed in his footsteps
Bryant, 41, and his daughter Gigi, as he called her, shared the same passion for the game and she wanted to play in the WNBA as the heir to his legacy.
Recently, a video of the two of them went viral as he seemed to break down a game they were attending.
The NBA icon leaves behind his daughters, Natalia, Bianka and Capri, who was born in June, and his wife, Vanessa.
Bryant joined the NBA right out of high school, becoming the league’s youngest player in history and spent the next 20 seasons of his professional career with the Los Angeles Lakers.
He held the position of the third-highest scorer in NBA history until he was surpassed by LeBron James Saturday night.
“Continuing to move the game forward @KingJames. Much respect my brother,” Bryant wrote on Twitter afterward.
