Kobe Bryant dies in Chopper crash?

Reports are he wasn’t with family or wife.

Everywhere now.
I too thought of his wife and kids. But news is stating they are sending prayers to his family.
So I hope that means they are ok.

Prayers to them.

that sucks… I would never fly on one of those if I had other options, I work next to H-60 Phase birds right now and I cracked the old joke that helicopters violate the laws of physics and every second its in flight is a million parts trying it best to fly in a million different directions.

The mechanics I was talking to all nodded yes without cracking a smile... dangerous creations.

Must have been a catastrophic malfunction. The Sikorsky S-76 is a very robust twin engine helicopter fully capable of single engine operations. In fact, the S-76 can even take off on a single engine if I'm not mistaken.

The helicopter is used by many militaries around the world as well as countless commercial and corporate operators. It is rated for all weather extended over-water operation (and that is a major statement about its capabilities).

originally posted by: Fallingdown

originally posted by: Xtrozero
Its true,

Says 4 to 5 so I wonder who were the others... I hope it wasn't his kids..

That was my first thought too .

I could imagine going down in a helicopter .

Feeling of fear and helplessness of your situation.

But could you imagine going down with your children?

Looking them in the eye and feeling their fear and helplessness while blaming yourself .

I sure wouldn’t want that to be the last 15 seconds of my life .

It even hurts when I think about it .

Crap

Reports say his daughters were with him

Very sad. I heard the news when I tuned in to the golf tournament. Tiger was a big fan of Kobe and someone told him. You can tell it is affecting him to.

Kobe was one of very few, perhaps the only one who could keep up with MJ on the basketball court.

originally posted by: Fallingdown

originally posted by: Fallingdown

originally posted by: Xtrozero
Its true,

Says 4 to 5 so I wonder who were the others... I hope it wasn't his kids..

That was my first thought too .

I could imagine going down in a helicopter .

Feeling of fear and helplessness of your situation.

But could you imagine going down with your children?

Looking them in the eye and feeling their fear and helplessness while blaming yourself .

I sure wouldn’t want that to be the last 15 seconds of my life .

It even hurts when I think about it .

Crap

Reports say his daughters were with him

Ah Sh!t...

Starting to hear chatter the other 4 were in fact his kids...

Also, just for the record, Bryant did not own the helicopter, he rented it. However, he rented it so frequently people often thought he owned it. And, I'm pretty sure Bryant was not a pilot with a rotary wing certification.

Other possible relevant data...there was fog reported in the area at the time of the crash. CFIT is also a possibility here.

a reply to: HomeBrew

Just heard Kobe flew the helicopter himself on occasion.

a reply to: Tarzan the apeman.

Perhaps, but under the tutelage of a certified PIC.

Bryant was not certified to fly it himself. I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure.

ETA - Flying a helicopter once it is airborne is a pretty straight forward endeavor (with some practice). However, taking off and, more importantly, successfully landing a helicopter is a whole other matter!!

a reply to: Bigburgh



When your hopes are up there’s only one way for them to go .

a reply to: HomeBrew

This makes it infinitely worse. His kids still had tgeir whole life ahead of them, while Kobe accomplished more than most could ever dream.

TMZ now reporting one daughter, Gianna, was with him.

www.tmz.com...

RIP

a reply to: Fallingdown

The story is already changing...
Now saying one daughter (the 13 yo )

It seems his eldest daughter was aboard, according to TMZ. The kid was just 13...

www.tmz.com...

12:35 PM PT -- Kobe's daughter Gianna Maria Onore -- aka GiGi -- was also on board the helicopter and died in the crash ... reps for Kobe tell TMZ Sports. She was 13.

We're told they were on their way to the Mamba Academy for a basketball practice when the crash occurred. The Academy is in nearby Thousand Oaks.

Tail number was November 72 Echo Xray (N72EX).

If anyone wants to run a flightradar history on it.

ETA - Might be informative to know what altitude it was flying at. I'd do it, but I don't have a paid subscription and I think you need one to do that lookup.

a reply to: Bigburgh

In this instance I wouldn’t mind being wrong at all .

Even though one is to many .

Witnesses on the ground said they heard a sputter and then an explosion shortly aftwards. I'm not putting much stock in that report.

That is not what I would expect to hear from a helicopter like this under just about any circumstance. Even a flame out on one engine would sound more like a bang.

Confirmed by Woj from ESPN.

They were heading to his daughters basketball game.

The dead are: the pilot, Kobe and his daughter Gianna, another parent and a child (Giannas teammate).

twitter.com...

RIP