The NTSB report on 1,700 pages also shows that Zobayan appears to have been disoriented by the fog, and that he stated that he stepped with the helicopter when in fact it was on its way down, the AP news agency writes.
The report does not draw any conclusions about what caused the crash and should be followed up with a final report.
In the helicopter crash on January 26, former LA Lakers player Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna, two of her basketball teammates and another five people were killed on board. The helicopter was on its way to a girls' basketball tournament in Los Angeles.