Horrifying images of the crashed helicopter that Kobe Bryant was in have emerged. 

A man who was riding a mountain bike with a friend captured photographs of the helicopter engulfed in flames. 

The man said, “Out of the fog came a helicopter and it slammed into the mountainside about 200 feet from where we were standing. We were close enough that we could feel the air from the propellers. There was a huge fireball. One of the helicopter doors landed about 10 to 15 feet away from us. Helicopter parts were flying everywhere. There was very little left of the helicopter.”

The duo did rush to the site to help “but there were obviously no survivors.”

On January 26, 2020, the crash claimed the lives of 9 people including the former NBA star Kobe Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, girls’ basketball coach Christina Mauser; mom Sarah Chester and her 13-year-old daughter, Payton Chester; college baseball coach John Altobelli, his daughter Alyssa Altobelli and wife, Keri Altobelli, and pilot Ara Zobayan.

The man, who chose to remain anonymous added, “We didn’t realize that Kobe Bryant was in the helicopter until we got back down to the parking lot. Just the fact that a whole helicopter full of people crashed was shocking to us.” 

According to UK’s Sun, the flight had crashed in the early hours. Zobayan had flown the helicopter at 1,400 feet and veered from Highway 101 below and smashed into the Calabasas hills. And according to  Jennifer Homendy, a member of the National Transportation Safety Board, the aircraft didn’t have a black box, nor was it required to.

Also read: Kobe Bryant and wife Vanessa never flew together on a helicopter

Kobe is survived by his wife Vanessa Laine Bryant, 37, and their daughters Natalia, 17, Bianka, 3, and 7-month-old Capri.

Short Bio

Vanessa Laine Bryant’s birth took place on May 5, 1982, in California, USA. She was born as Vanessa Cornejo Urbieta to her mother Sofia Laine while the name of her biological father is not shared. Her parents had divorced when she was just 3 years old...Full Bio

Also read: Kobe and Vanessa Bryant Welcome a Baby Girl, Capri Kobe