Kobe Bryant and 13-Year-Old Daughter Gianna Among 9 Killed in Helicopter Crash in Calabasas
Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna were among nine people killed Sunday, Jan. 26, when a helicopter taking them to his youth basketball academy crashed in the foggy hills of Calabasas.
There were no survivors.
Those on board the 12-seat helicopter included Orange Coast College head baseball coach John Altobelli, his wife Keri and daughter Alyssa, according to news reports. Another victim was Christina Mauser, who was a coach at Harbor Day School in Corona del Mar, Costa Mesa mayor Katrina Foley tweeted.
A mother and daughter from Orange County also died in the crash, family and friends confirmed on social media. They were Sarah and Payton Chester. A friend said Payton attended St. Margaret’s Episcopal School in San Juan Capistrano.
KTLA reported the pilot was Ara Zobayan and that he was being mourned on social media.
The helicopter, a Sikorsky S-76B, took off from John Wayne Airport in Orange County at 9:08 a.m., records show.
The crash, in the area of Las Virgenes Road and Willow Glen Street, was called in at 9:47 a.m., according to a watch commander at the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Lost Hills/Malibu station.
The downed chopper triggered a small fire that was quickly put out.
Two men working at the Church in the Canyon, a small Presbyterian congregation on Las Virgenes Road immediately to the west of the crash site, were the first to see the Sikorsky helicopter plunge into the side of the hill.
Jerry Kosharian, 62, a longtime facilities manager for the church, was drinking his coffee and talking on his phone in the parking lot when he heard a helicopter buzz by.
Something was wrong. The helicopter sounded too low, he thought.
“It sounded like the engine was struggling,” Kosharian said.
Kosharian never saw the helicopter. The clouds Sunday morning were too thick and low. But as he turned to the sound coming from the side of the hill, he saw fireballs raining down around the crash site.
Scott Daehlin, 61, was setting up sound for the church service when he heard a helicopter hovering above him. After about 20 seconds there was a loud crack and he knew it crashed.
“He was in the soup,” Daehlin said, referring to the low cloud cover Sunday morning.
Daehlin’s dad was a pilot. Daehlin said he thinks the helicopter lost visibility entirely and was looking for a landmark to tell him where he was.
He heard the explosion, he said, then silence.
Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna enjoy the opening game of the LA Sparks’ 2017 season. (Los Angeles Daily News: John McCoy)
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department did not allow its helicopters to fly in the morning because of the visibility issue, Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva said.
A review of radio communications between the Burbank airport tower and the helicopter shows the pilot requested permission to fly with monitoring from air traffic control, called “flight following.” The tower can be heard telling the pilot they were too low before the conversation ended.
An 18-member team from the National Transportation Safety Board was en route to investigate the crash, including the history of the pilot and the maintenance record of the aircraft, said NTSB member Jennifer Homendy.
The Lakers confirmed that Bryant, 41, was one of the victims.
“The entire Los Angeles Lakers family wishes to support their family and friends. RIP KOBE,” the team tweeted at 12:24 p.m.
The National Basketball Association sent a confirmation of Bryant’s and his daughter Gianna’s deaths to all teams and league employees Sunday afternoon, according to two people familiar with the document, The New York Times reported.
Mauser was an assistant youth basketball coach to Bryant, said Dave White, who coached her at Edison High School. Her husband Matt Mauser of the Tijuana Dogs band wrote on Facebook, “My kids and I are devastated. We lost our beautiful wife and mom today in a helicopter crash. Please respect our privacy. Thank you for all the well wishes they mean so much.”
Pilot Zobayan of Huntington Beach was “an amazing person and an amazing pilot,” said Margaret Bray, an Avalon restaurant owner who has flown many times with Zobayan.
News of Bryants’ death brought messages of grief and heartache from fans and professional athletes alike, from team owners to playground ballers. Crowds gathered at Staples Center where the Lakers play and huddled near the hillside where the helicopter went down.
Associate coach Nate Johnson, left, embraces his wife Jonai during a ceremony held for John Altobelli, the late head coach of Orange Coast College baseball, who died in the helicopter crash alongside his wife Keri and youngest daughter Alyssa. (Southern California News Group: Jeff Gritchen)
LAX’s pylons were lit in purple and gold in memory of Bryant and the others. New York City’s Madison Square Garden also was lit up in Lakers colors.
Hundreds of people gathered throughout the day on Las Virgenes, gawking up at the still smoldering crash site. A few firefighters and other officials milled around the small crater.
Wreckage was visible, but little of the Sikorsky helicopter remained, only bits and pieces.
From the sidewalk on the west side of the road, fans and other onlookers stood for hours behind police tape. Some in jerseys — several wearing No. 8, Kobe’s first jersey as a Laker, others wearing hats and sweatshirts in purple and gold — sobbed and held each other.
Bryan Miller, a Lakers fan for 30 years, straddled his bicycle and took photos of the scene. He wore an original Magic Johnson jersey.
“I’m heartbroken. I’m stunned,” Miller said.
Bryant and the others were en route to the Mamba Academy in nearby Thousand Oaks for a basketball tournament when the crash occurred. Gianna, nicknamed GiGi, had two games scheduled for Sunday afternoon at the academy, and Bryant was expected to coach.
The crash brought attention to the Sikorsky S-76B helicopter registered to Island Express Holding Corp. in Van Nuys.
The twin-engine Sikorsky S-76B can transport up to nine passengers, has a top speed of 178 mph and features spacious and quiet cabins, according to Island Express. “Fly the same helicopter used by the president of the United States and the British royal family,” the company said on its website.
Helicopter maker Sikorsky, owned by Lockheed Martin, issued a statement on the crash via Twitter. “We extend our sincerest condolences to all those affected by today’s Sikorsky S-76B accident in Calabasas, California. We have been in contact with the NTSB and stand ready to provide assistance and support to the investigative authorities and our customer.”
Introduced in 1977, the S-76 series helicopter was originally built for the offshore oil and gas transportation market, but its capabilities extend into other areas such as executive transport, search and rescue, airline and emergency medical air ambulance services, Lockheed Martin said on its website.
Shadows are cast on a memorial wall as fans gather at L.A. Live to remember Kobe and Gianna Bryant, along with their fellow passengers John, Keri and Alyssa Altobelli, Christina Mauser, Sarah and Payton Chester and pilot Ara Zobayan. (AP Images)
Mournful messages were sent from throughout the world.
Former Miami Heat star Dwyane Wade tweeted: “Nooooooooooo God please No!”
“Kobe Bryant was a giant who inspired, amazed, and thrilled people everywhere with his incomparable skill on the court — and awed us with his intellect and humility as a father, husband, creative genius, and ambassador for the game he loved,” Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said.
“He will live forever in the heart of Los Angeles, and will be remembered through the ages as one of our greatest heroes. This is a moment that leaves us struggling to find words that express the magnitude of shock and sorrow we are all feeling right now, and I am keeping Kobe’s entire family in my prayers at this time of unimaginable grief.”
Known as the “Black Mamba,” Bryant’s influence on the community shown in the tearful emojis twittered by the young fans who grew up with the 20-year Laker. The five-time NBA champion, the 18-time NBA All Star was remembered as not only a giant among professional athletes, but an inspiration to many.
His path was not always easy or without controversy. In 2003, he was accused of sexual assault by a Colorado hotel worker, but he claimed the sex was consensual. A criminal charge was later dropped.
Former Boston Celtics star Paul Pierce — who battled Kobe twice in the NBA Finals — tweeted: “This is not real right now.”
Emile Haddad, the chairman and CEO of Irvine-based FivePoint Holdings Inc., grew to appreciate Bryant’s perspective and the role he wanted to play in his adopted home of Orange County.
“Most of the world knew Kobe as a celebrity and superstar. My discussions were not about his fame, but the role he wanted to play in the community,” Haddad said in a statement. “I was fortunate enough to see what he stood for as a real human being.”
“It was in those moments I realized there were ideas and issues we shared in common around community and how to make a difference,” he said.
Robert Iger, chairman and CEO of The Walt Disney Co., called Bryant “‘a giant in sports and a person so full of life. Terrible news and so hard to process….”
President Donald Trump also weighed in Sunday, tweeting that Bryant’s death was “terrible news!”
Bryant lived in Newport Beach, where city officials sent out the following statement Sunday: “It is with heavy hearts that we say goodbye to Newport Beach resident and international sports legend Kobe Bryant. Our prayers are with his family, friends, colleagues and neighbors as our community grieves this sudden and devastating loss. Kobe leaves behind an unmatched legacy of excellence, on and off the court, that will not be forgotten.”
Bryant, one of the NBA’s all-time greats, last tweeted himself Saturday night, congratulating current Lakers superstar LeBron James on passing Bryant for third place on the league’s all-time scoring list.
“Continuing to move the game forward @KingJames. Much respect my brother,” the tweet said.