Kobe Bryant: The basketball icon has been officially identified

Nine people were killed in a helicopter crash in California on Sunday (January 26). After recovering all the bodies, the fingerprinting confirmed the identity of four victims: basketball legend Kobe Bryant, pilot Ara Zobayan, baseball coach John Altobelli and Sarah Chester. The five other victims, including Bryant's 13-year-old daughter Gianna, have not yet been officially identified, Los Angeles forensic medicine announced on Tuesday (local time). There are also other details about the crash.

The search for the cause continues

The investigation at the scene of the accident has been completed, Jennifer Homendy of the U.S. Transportation Safety Agency said in a press conference, Parts of the crashed helicopter were recovered and brought to a safe place for further investigation. An iPad and a cell phone were also recovered from the wreck. Both will be evaluated. Neither a flight data recorder nor a cockpit voice recorder were on board, which would have made the investigation easier.

According to the NTSB, the helicopter was around 700 meters high when it crashed at high speed. Homendy called it "a crash with high impact energy". So it went quickly. Homendy says it only took a minute from the fall to the impact. It was unclear why the helicopter crashed at this speed, which was too fast for a standard landing. The pilot had probably tried to fly out of a cloud layer. The helicopter missed the top of the hill by "20 to 30 feet", which is about six to nine meters.

Homendy said to pilot Ara Zobayan that, according to official information from July 2019, he had completed more than 8,200 flight hours. However, this number may now be higher. He flew at least 1,250 of them with the helicopter model from Sunday. That is "a good amount of experience". The day before the crash, the pilot had flown the same route, choosing a more direct route and the view was clear.

Homendy also said there was a meeting with the victims' families. This took place in the form of a conference call. However, she did not disclose any information "out of respect for the families".

A first report from the NTSB will be available in ten days. It is intended to provide further facts and factual information. The final report, with findings, safety recommendations and – probably – the cause will follow in 12 to 18 months.