Kobe Bryant and 8 other passengers were suddenly killed in a helicopter crash on January 26, 2020, in Calabasas, California.

There were a total of 9 passengers, including Kobe Bryant, Gianna Bryant, John Altobelli with his wife Kerri and daughter Alyssa, Christina Mauser, Sarah Chester, Payton Chester, and Ara Zobayan.  Sadly, there were no survivors. The victims were heading to Mamba Sports Academy in Thousand Oaks, California.

The pilot had 8200 hours of flight time since July. According to the investigators, “because of inclement weather, the chopper was flying low”. The air traffic controller informed the pilot, “You’re still too low for flight following this time.” which means that the chopper wasn’t flying high enough to register on the radar.

The helicopter circled Glendale for 14 minutes after takeoff, then proceeded into the clouds before making a sharp turn, and crashing into the ground.

Los Angeles County Fire Chief Daryl Osby states “At 9:47 a.m. the Los Angeles County Fire Department received a 911 call of a potential helicopter down and a brush fire…Upon arrival, our firefighters discovered approximately a quarter-acre brush fire that resulted from a crash on the hillside.”

Kobe Bryant will always be remembered as one of the greatest players of all time, spending 20 years in the NBA, all with the Lakers, 4th leading score in the NBA, and two-time Olympic Gold Medalists.