Los Angeles (AFP)
NBA legend Kobe Bryant helicopter crash pilot told air traffic controllers that he was trying to get out of thick fog just before the plane hit the hill , according to the survey.
Ara Zobayan said in a radio exchange that he would climb to 4,000 feet (1,200 meters) shortly before the helicopter crashed near Calabasas on January 26, causing the death of his daughter Bryant Gianna, 13, and six others.
A partial transcript of communications between Zobayan and the air traffic controller is among the documents released Wednesday by the National Transportation Safety Council (NTSB) in charge of the investigation.
"Uh, we're climbing to four thousand," said Zobayan. "And then what are you going to do when you are at altitude?" Replied the controller. Without answer.
Initial investigation revealed that the helicopter had dived several hundred feet before the accident occurred.
The NTSB, which continues to investigate, stressed that this "public record" was not a final report "and that it does not contain analyzes, conclusions, recommendations or probable cause determinations" of the accident.
"As such, no conclusions as to the cause of the accident and the way in which it occurred should be drawn from the information in the file," insisted the NTSB, which will publish its final report at a later date. , still to be determined.
The death of Kobe Bryant at 41 years old caused a great emotion in the world, beyond the sport.
In 20 years played in the Los Angeles Lakers, he won five NBA champion titles and was named best player in the League in 2007-08.
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