Debris analysis of helicopter that crashed Jan. 26, killing basketball star Kobe Bryant and eight others, found the engine of the aircraft had not failed, reports say from the Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) released Friday.
Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna were among the nine victims of this helicopter accident west of Los Angeles.
"All the important components of the helicopter were located around the wreckage," according to the transport regulator. And "the examination of the main and tail rotor parts made it possible to identify damage in accordance with a rotation driven by the engine at the time of impact".
Accidental operation?
"Visible sections of the engines showed no evidence of an uncontrolled internal defect or that could lead to a disaster," say the investigators. This report is a summary of the initial findings. A final report identifying the causes of the crash should not be made public for a year.
The aircraft, a Sikorsky S-76B, crashed shortly before 10 a.m. on January 26, when heavy fog enveloped the region. He had taken off from Newport Beach (about 60 km south of Los Angeles), where Kobe Bryant resided, in the direction of the Mamba Academy, a sports center owned by the star, located 135 km away.
Authorities and experts quickly favored an accidental maneuver in the fog rather than possible mechanical problems. The aircraft did not have a black box, because it was not necessary on this type of helicopter. It also did not have an altitude alarm, as the NTSB had repeatedly recommended to the United States Civil Aviation Agency (FAA).
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