The Los Angeles Fire Department released recordings of the 911 calls reporting the helicopter crash that killed Kobe Bryant and eight other passengers aboard the flight. According to Radar Online , shocked witnesses report hearing a massive explosion and confirmed that there were heavy clouds in the area at the time of the crash.
One person who was hiking in the area heard a crash that he assumed was an airplane and called 911.
“I could hear this plane, as if it was in the clouds but couldn’t see it, then we just heard a boom and a dead sound, and I could see the flames,” he said.
Another caller confirmed that there were heavy clouds in the area during and after the flight.
“I just heard a helicopter go over me, approximately from Lost Hills Road on a south to easterly sweep. It went over my head, it’s thick in clouds, and then I heard a pop, and it immediately stopped… I can’t see it,” a witness reported. “That part of the mountain is… in clouds.”
As The Inquisitr previously reported, the conditions on the Sunday morning that Bryant’s helicopter took off were less than ideal. Other helicopters in the area, including those belonging to the Los Angeles Police Department, stayed grounded until the fog in the area cleared out.
But Kobe’s pilot received special clearance to take off in the difficult conditions. Shortly after taking off, the aircraft was purportedly put into a holding pattern and was circling in the air. While circling, the pilot was reportedly warned by flight control that the chopper was too low. Just before the crash, air traffic asked for “flight following,” which means that air control was asking the pilot to stay in contact until the concern was resolved. Right after the request, the tower lost contact with the pilot.
After 15 minutes of holding, it reportedly slammed into the side of a Calabasas mountain at high speed, killing Bryant, his daughter Gianna , the pilot, and six other people on board. The group was headed to a Los Angeles basketball tournament where Bryant’s daughter and some of the other passengers were playing. So far, no cause of the crash has been officially determined.
Bryant’s death shocked the world, with tributes to the star pouring in, including a purple and yellow cross at the Super Bowl halftime show.
The NBA superstar is survived by his wife Vanessa and their three daughters.