"A sharp decline at high speed": new details of the death of Kobe Bryant became known

High speed reduction

New details of the crash that claimed the lives of legendary basketball player Kobe Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, and seven other people became known. According to representatives of the National Council for Transport Safety (NTSB), before the crash, pilot Ara Zobayan announced his intention to gain altitude in order to avoid getting the helicopter into the cloud layer.

The vehicle gained about 700 meters, but then began to make a left turn with a decrease. The altitude discharge rate was about 36 km / h.

“It was a rather sharp decline at high speed ... So we know that the impact power during the crash was great,” said NTSB staffer Jennifer Khomendi.

At the moment, it is not known what exactly led to the tragedy. It is noted that the 50-year-old Zobayan was an experienced pilot, whose total flight duration was more than 8000 hours. He specialized in commercial transportation and often flew helicopters of famous people. A day before the tragedy, he made a successful flight along the same route.

At the same time, during the investigation it turned out that on board the system of early warning of approach to the ground (TAWS) was not installed. Such devices are recommended for use in hazardous weather conditions.

Meanwhile, the bodies of all those on board were discovered and taken to a forensic center. At the moment, the remains of four victims have been identified - Bryant, Zobayan, baseball coach John Altobelli and Sarah Chester, mother of the clubmate Gianna.

In the near future, the first part of the investigation, including the collection of evidence and the work of experts at the crash site, will be completed. It is assumed that a total clarification of circumstances may take about a year due to the absence of “black boxes” on board. To speed up the process, law enforcement agencies asked all witnesses to send them photos and videos of what happened, as well as weather conditions that day in the area.

One of these records was shared by a resident of Glendale, located in the northern suburbs of Los Angeles. He captured the Bryant helicopter 30 minutes before the fatal fall.

I try and video / photograph all the weird stuff happening above my house in Glendale, CA. Unfortunately this morning I didn't realize I was filming the helicopter Kobe Bryant, his daughter and others were in 31 minutes before they crashed. RIP pic.twitter.com/8zdiplvEbv

The reaction of O'Neill and the ambiguous action Volanski

Many representatives of the world of sports perceived the death of Bryant as a personal tragedy. His former Lakers teammate, four-time National Basketball League (NBA) champion Shaquille O'Neill was unable to hold back his tears as he talked about his experiences. He talked about how he learned about the tragedy.

“I was at home, training below with my son Shakir and my nephew Columbus. Another nephew of mine came in at that time. He was full of tears and showed me the news on his phone. I shouted at him to keep him away from my eyes. We live in a world where everything can be faked using a computer. I didn’t want to believe that it was true. Then everyone started calling me, and the information was confirmed. I have not felt such pain for a long time. I am 47 years old. I lost two grandmothers, a sister, and now a little brother, ”O'Neill said in the NBA on TNT program.

In addition, he admitted that the death of a close friend left a deep imprint on him and made him think about priorities in life.

"I work a lot. You all know what I'm doing. Maybe I work even more than others. But now I will take the time to say: “I love you”, to contact relatives, because you never know ... Life is too short, ”added the legendary center.

Meanwhile, in memory of Bryant, the NBA released a video with the highlights of his career - starting with the 1996 draft and ending with a farewell match.

The tragedy prompted several basketball players playing under the 8th or 24th numbers to change the numbers on their shirts as a sign of respect. In particular, such a decision has already been made by forwards Terrence Ross, Maurice Harkless and Markiff Morris, as well as defenders Spencer Dinwiddy and Quinn Cook.

Thanks to his game and outstanding achievements, Bryant has earned respect not only at home, but also around the world. They continue to pay tribute to him in Russia. Representatives of VTB United League said that all the matches of the tournament, scheduled for February 1 and 2, will begin with a minute of silence.

One of the best domestic players, Andrei Vorontsevich, dedicated a post on Instagram to Bryant. The athletes are captured in the photo during the opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

“How dear every moment of life! Appreciate life, love life! I am proud that I had the opportunity to touch the legendary and great man! Such people do not leave, they forever remain to live in our memory and in our hearts! Rest in peace, Kobe, ”wrote Vorontsevich.

View this Instagram post

How dear every moment of life !!! Appreciate life, love life! I am proud that I had the opportunity to touch the legendary and great man! Such people do not leave, they always remain alive, in our memory and in our hearts! RIP Kobe 🙏🙏🙏

Publication by VORONTSEVICH ANDREY (@ cevich20) Jan 27, 2020 at 10:26 PST

The memory of the basketball player has already been honored at the ceremony of presenting the prestigious Grammy Music Award, held a few hours after the tragedy. The presenters expressed condolences from the stage, and the artists dedicated their numbers to him. The organizers of the Oscar film award, which will be held on February 10, will follow this example.

It is worth noting that Bryant is one of the few professional athletes to receive this award. In 2018, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences celebrated its short film, Dear Basketball.

Among the general grief there was a place for an ambiguous act. The infamous model Kinsey Volanski, who ran onto the field in last year's Champions League final, staged a kind of memory action. She entered the Austrian Schladming circuit during the alpine skiing World Cup. The girl was dressed in a swimsuit and was holding in her hands the poster "Rest in Peace, Kobe."

The organizers had to immediately take Volanski off the slope. The incident caused a wave of indignation in social networks.

“This time, Volanski made her way to the track with a poster about Kobe Bryant. She turned the death of a person into her personal show, ”one Twitter user said.