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What Will The Investigation Into Kobe Bryant's Helicopter Crash Uncover?

The legendary Kobe Bryant lost his life this past weekend in a tragic helicopter accident, though the exact cause is still undetermined. What happened?

By Allie Z.Published 4 years ago 3 min read
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As most of us have heard, Kobe Bryant passed away this weekend in an unfortunate helicopter crash. Bryant, his daughter, and seven others were flying aboard a private chopper on the way to Mamba Sports Academy when the Sikorsky S-76b helicopter collided with a hillside and then crashed in the Calabasas area.

A cause of the disastrous incident has yet to be determined, though several factors have been mentioned in initial reports. Low visibility is one of the causes being speculated seeing as how fog in the Calabasas area was prominent on Sunday . The Los Angeles County Sheriff's department also mentioned they grounded their helicopters that very morning, so fog could've been a contributing factor.

Another suspected cause may have been human error. According to a report from USA Today, an air traffic controller informed the pilot of Bryant's chopper that he was flying below the level needed to assist with tracking. The pilot reportedly didn't respond to the message. Keep in mind that he was flying under rules that allowed the pilot to navigate using vision alone.

For now, federal investigations into the incident are still ongoing. The presumed next steps will be to locate the device used to collect flight data, in order to determine an exact cause for the crash. Unfortunately, investigators are still sifting through the debris.

The grim albeit intriguing question being asked is whether or not Bryant's chopper was equipped with a CVR (cockpit voice recorder) device. Investigators are reportedly searching for an FDR (flight data recorder), but there's been no mention of a cockpit voice recorder, yet.

The reason a CVR is of interest is that the audio may contain Kobe Bryant's final words on it. The federal investigators examining all the evidence won't release a potential audio recording to the public, but if one does exist, it's only a matter of time before the audio leaks.

As sad as the prospect makes us, hearing Bryant say some final comforting words to his daughter would give fans and family a level of closure. There'd presumably be all kinds of noise happening at the same time, as well as screaming from the other passengers, but as a father facing certain death, Bryant likely spoke to his daughter Gianna during those last moments.

Regardless of what is uncovered in the data collection devices, fans should respect the privacy of the Bryant family during this time. They're grieving over the death of two of their own, and a publicized release of their loved ones' last words on audio won't help one bit.

The situation is worse than we thought...

The Bryant family is also dealing with the complicated nature of recovering their loved ones' bodies after the crash.

According to TMZ, only three of the nine people aboard the chopper have been recovered so far; none of whom have been named. A reason hasn't been explicitly said, but the most logical explanation is that the deceased's remains were unrecognizable. The chopper did explode upon impact with the ground.

Recovery efforts on multiple deceased tend to require lengthy investigation periods to properly identify the bodies. This must be done before any remains are sent to their loved ones for burials. And when a tragic accident like this ends in a ball of fire, the process can take even longer to complete.

As a result, the Bryant family and the other three families affected by the tragic incident will have to wait before they can put their loved ones to rest. Memorials are already ongoing, but the bodies of those who perished won't be laid to rest until a complete investigation is performed.

How did you react to the news of Kobe Bryant's passing? Let us know in the comments below.

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About the Creator

Allie Z.

I cover most entertainment related topics and am venturing into journalism.

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