Kobe Bryant dead in helicopter crash - TMZ (1 Viewer)

[Anarchy99]

I still haven't seen any follow up to the article I posted late last night (here or in the media). ESPN reported the trajectory of the helicopter showed they had banked and climbed to 2300 feet after telling ATC that they were climbing above the clouds. Then it appears the pilot lost control, and the helicopter veered in a different direction. It was said to have accelerated and started a steep dive and crashed. Off the top (and I know absolutely nothing about helicopters), that doesn't seem like a pilot that simply had his bearings out of whack and flew into a mountain. Again, I am a total layman on this, but that sounds like something may have happened to the pilot or something happened to the helicopter. Weather and location certainly didn't help, but if they were that high up, not sure they would have run into anything (if what was reported is accurate).

 

[TripItUp]

I current live in Southern California, our firm is headquartered in Orange County.   I went to law school down here and have lived all throughout Southern California over the years.

This is the most impactful death to Southern California in my adult life and there is not a close second that I can recall.

Our superhero is no longer with us and our region is having difficulty coming to grips with it.   It's difficult to explain what he meant to Southern Californians.

 

[The General]

Wow, maybe we should stop with the comparisons.  This feels nothing like 9/11 to me.

Not comparing Kobe death to 9/11. I'm not sure if I'll remember where I was when I heard about Kobe in a decade (was watching the end of the Hoosiers collapse to Maryland and getting pissed and the wife said "Kobe is dead" and I was thinking what the hell are you talking about). I did think it was odd Assembly Hall was so quiet at the end of a close game, I'm guessing people were looking at their phones.

I did remember where I was when I heard about the events that MoP listed and honestly as I am waking up and the coffee is kicking in not that many others stood out.

Kurt Cobain is the one that is odd that it stands out to me but it does. I distinctly remember what I was doing exactly when I heard.

 

[GoBirds]

And they called in everyone as soon as they possibly could but it was odd that things were moving along in the Pro Bowl like nothing was happening. Again I'm not personally offended but in these tragedies people have to lash out at something. It's human nature. I had to get the first info from places like CNN/FOX/MSNBC seemed like they were running the info first or had a lot more of it faster. 

Super Bowl Monday looks about a 180 from what ESPN, FOX and the NFL were hoping for today in around South Beach with all the Media camped out. Most of us were getting into Super Bowl mode feel like the rug was pulled out from under us. 

FS1 looked terrible trying to broadcast live this morning from South Beach, is that Nick Wright that hosts that show? 

Has anyone even thought about the logistics of a funeral this week with the Super Bowl looming on Sunday? 

It’s just a tough situation to respond to, while some always get mad I don’t know how much more could have been expected with such a gut punch out of nowhere. Going to bed last night it seemed ESPN had pulled together everyone they could and then some. 

 

[Ministry of Pain]

I still haven't seen any follow up to the article I posted late last night (here or in the media). ESPN reported the trajectory of the helicopter showed they had banked and climbed to 2300 feet after telling ATC that they were climbing above the clouds. Then it appears the pilot lost control, and the helicopter veered in a different direction. It was said to have accelerated and started a steep dive and crashed. Off the top (and I know absolutely nothing about helicopters), that doesn't seem like a pilot that simply had his bearings out of whack and flew into a mountain. Again, I am a total layman on this, but that sounds like something may have happened to the pilot or something happened to the helicopter. Weather and location certainly didn't help, but if they were that high up, not sure they would have run into anything (if what was reported is accurate).

I heard on the news today he was flying using his eyes only, not the instruments and I also heard they circled Burbank for 15 minutes and would not be cleared to land so he took off, just what I've heard in the background today. 

 

[GoBirds]

Robin Williams 

Heath Ledger 

Rich Cronin

Chester Bennington 

Chris Cornell 

Many sad celebrity deaths over the past 20 years....

They way it stunned me it reminded me of coming home from work to the OJ chase. The murder of MJ’s father is another I think of. Man I feel for these families. 

 

[GoBirds]

I heard on the news today he was flying using his eyes only, not the instruments and I also heard they circled Burbank for 15 minutes and would not be cleared to land so he took off, just what I've heard in the background today. 

Watching the flight path and how long they were there it really sticks with me, if they found some way to for them in they are all alive. Shouldn’t think that way I guess but it bothers me. 

 

[GROOT]

Roberto Clemente comes to mind but that was way before my time and obviously before social media. 
 

My father said this one was tough

 

[Ditkaless Wonders]

Not comparing Kobe death to 9/11. I'm not sure if I'll remember where I was when I heard about Kobe in a decade (was watching the end of the Hoosiers collapse to Maryland and getting pissed and the wife said "Kobe is dead" and I was thinking what the hell are you talking about). I did think it was odd Assembly Hall was so quiet at the end of a close game, I'm guessing people were looking at their phones.

I did remember where I was when I heard about the events that MoP listed and honestly as I am waking up and the coffee is kicking in not that many others stood out.

Kurt Cobain is the one that is odd that it stands out to me but it does. I distinctly remember what I was doing exactly when I heard.

I remember who I was doing.  She was a big Kurt Cobain fan.  Me, not so much.  Was clear if I was not devastated I would not be getting any for some time.  In that regard it was similar to the John Lennon passing.  Again, the girl I was with was devastated, me, not so much.  I have come to accept that on an empathy scale I tend towards the sociopathic end.  These things do not seem to touch me as deeply as they do others.  My loss since interpersonal connection seems to give value to our lives, to color them.

 

[The General]

I remember who I was doing.  She was a big Kurt Cobain fan.  Me, not so much.  Was clear if I was not devastated I would not be getting any for some time.  In that regard it was similar to the John Lennon passing.  Again, the girl I was with was devastated, me, not so much.  I have come to accept that on an empathy scale I tend towards the sociopathic end.  These things do not seem to touch me as deeply as they do others.  My loss since interpersonal connection seems to give value to our lives, to color them.

That't the odd thing with me. I wasn't a huge Nirvana fan. Although as I type this I also remember when I first heard "Smells Like Teen Spirit" - driving to my place 20 minutes south of Bloomington, IN at probably 1 in the morning. The song came on and I was thinking what is this, it's ####### great. Bought the CD and played for my friends and was initially thought this album sucks and another buddy who was way cooler than me said no way, this will be a huge thing.

It's more just shocking death of a public figure that imbeds itself in my memory I guess.

I don't remember precisely where I first heard Prince, MJ though.

 

[fissure man]

I remember who I was doing.  She was a big Kurt Cobain fan.  Me, not so much.  Was clear if I was not devastated I would not be getting any for some time.  In that regard it was similar to the John Lennon passing.  Again, the girl I was with was devastated, me, not so much.  I have come to accept that on an empathy scale I tend towards the sociopathic end.  These things do not seem to touch me as deeply as they do others.  My loss since interpersonal connection seems to give value to our lives, to color them.

I used to be like that too until my brother passed.

In an oddly similar event, at the time of princess Diana’s passing I asked my then GF why she was so upset, “She wasn’t even a real princess,” I said and  .

Pretty sure my GF realized in that very moment that I was a monster. 

 

[fissure man]

Will definitely remember this flashbulb of hearing the news break, and I also remember John Lennon, John Belushi, Princess Grace, Kurt Cobain, Steve Irvin, Pope John Paul (though expected), Heath Ledger, Michael Jackson, Amy Winehouse, and exactly where I was.

But of all of these, Kobe may have been the most shocking, and my brain immediately wanted to unhear the news.

Weird and stupid thought. Prior to when he cheated on his wife and faced serious sexual assault allegations, I held Kobe so high on a pedestal, it was almost like betrayal of a close friend. I said it was stupid, but I allowed him to be my hero, my Superman, and I felt so let down.

Imagine it’s kind of like a Jerry Lewis, Dean Martin situation where they had a public falling out, never spoke again, but Jerry Lewis absolutely melted when Dean died. 

I’d come to largely forgive and learn to respect Kobe again, who redeemed himself and seemed to have grown immensely. Suddenly, I’m reminded of why I held him in such high regard and why I revered the guy. Some of the most exciting moments of my life were watching the way he attacked the game of basketball. 

Gutted over this.

Your last paragraph is a reminder that people can make mistakes and grow from them and we as a society should try and remember that. 

 

[gianmarco]

Robin Williams 

Heath Ledger 

Rich Cronin

Chester Bennington 

Chris Cornell 

Many sad celebrity deaths over the past 20 years....

I was thinking of this this morning. Robin Williams for sure. That one was tough.

Some others that came to mind:  Chris Farley.  Paul Walker. Whitney Houston. Philip Seymour Hoffman. Bernie Mac. Patrick Swayze.

Sports related recently -- Oscar Tavares and Jose Fernandez.

 

[fissure man]

That't the odd thing with me. I wasn't a huge Nirvana fan. Although as I type this I also remember when I first heard "Smells Like Teen Spirit" - driving to my place 20 minutes south of Bloomington, IN at probably 1 in the morning. The song came on and I was thinking what is this, it's ####### great. Bought the CD and played for my friends and was initially thought this album sucks and another buddy who was way cooler than me said no way, this will be a huge thing.

It's more just shocking death of a public figure that imbeds itself in my memory I guess.

I don't remember precisely where I first heard Prince, MJ though.

I was visiting my aunt in Chicago when that song came on. I liked it but remember thinking at the time, “what’s the big deal, he’s not even singing for most of it!”

 

[CurlyNight]

I current live in Southern California, our firm is headquartered in Orange County.   I went to law school down here and have lived all throughout Southern California over the years.

This is the most impactful death to Southern California in my adult life and there is not a close second that I can recall.

Our superhero is no longer with us and our region is having difficulty coming to grips with it.   It's difficult to explain what he meant to Southern Californians.

My So Cal family are devastated. One cousin writes though they've never met, Kobe was with him all the time. So much more than basketball. He helped him rise up and above when he felt he was done, all through college and now his successful career. More than a legend or hero. He was like family.

I think his post basketball life with family first and giving to his community, being proactive in women's basketball, helping kids especially underprivileged ones through his books tell them they can do it. That's what hits hard, not the basketball stats. Truly a loss.

 

[fissure man]

I was thinking of this this morning. Robin Williams for sure. That one was tough.

Some others that came to mind:  Chris Farley.  Paul Walker. Whitney Houston. Philip Seymour Hoffman. Bernie Mac. Patrick Swayze.

Sports related recently -- Oscar Tavares and Jose Fernandez.

I don’t want to get too deep into a which death was more impactful contest but the majority of the names mentioned are folks who were abusing or using drugs or pretty sick in Swayze’s case. Paul Walker being one of the exceptions. 
 

I don’t think any of those deaths invoked the same reaction worldwide were seeing yesterday and today. 
 

That’s just how I feel. Not saying I’m right. 

 

[nirad3]

I'm absolutely heartbroken.

Huge basketball fan, and I am in a unique spot being from SoCal but a big Bulls fan.  So I grew up watching Jordan and when Kobe came into the league, I kinda despised him since he was dubbed the "next Jordan", and had a lot of his mannerisms and to me, was trying overly hard to be like Mike.

But I had also been a fan of the Showtime Lakers, so part of me still rooted for the Lakers but I was never really much of a "Kobe guy".

Over the years, the guy grew on me.  Mainly because of his work ethic but it was also just hard to not like the guy.

Living in Orange County, where Kobe chose to live (over the glitz and glamour of LA), you would always hear stories of him showing up places.  One of my friend's wife used to wait on him at a local restaurant and said he loved the milkshakes.  Recently, my wife would see him regularly at the Starbucks she works at and would say he was real nice and would come across as "just a regular guy... but super tall".

I was at a rollerskating rink when the news dropped yesterday, daughter was there for a birthday party.  Sat there in shock for a good half hour.  When we finally got in the car to leave, a wave of sadness hit me and I sobbed for a few minutes.

In addition to Kobe, I'm sad for the young lives that were lost as well.  To boot, the baseball coach who perished coached at the junior college right by my high school and in my hometown.   And finally, one of the women who died... well her best friend is my neighbor.

So this is hitting home big time.  

 

[CurlyNight]

I don’t want to get too deep into a which death was more impactful contest but the majority of the names mentioned are folks who were abusing or using drugs or pretty sick in Swayze’s case. Paul Walker being one of the exceptions. 
 

I don’t think any of those deaths invoked the same reaction worldwide were seeing yesterday and today. 
 

That’s just how I feel. Not saying I’m right. 

I agree. He was a good example many want to follow, family man, successful and giving. That's what makes it even more tragic.

 

[The General]

Magic Johnson's HIV announcement was up there as well. Partially because he was still an active player and had to abruptly retire, partially because the AIDS epidemic was not well understood by the public, and because it was assumed at the time that he would be dead within a year or two.

Others shockers include Len Bias overdosing after going 1st to Boston and Hank Gathers collapsing on the court during game action and dying.

Another one where I remember exactly where I was - driving to Vincennes Indiana. Was in the middle of nowhere. Came on the internet for my youth - the radio.

 

[whole-show]

Washington post political reporter suspended over insensitive tweets. 

Link

 

[rockaction]

Investigators to examine crash, special visual flight rules given to Kobe's aircaft.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/investigators-kobe-bryant-helicopter-crash-will-look-weather-aircraft-conditions-n1123911

 

[Quint]

John Lennon 1980

Challenger Disaster 1986

Kurt Cobain 1994 although when it's DbS it has a different feel

Those were the events that came to mind trying to compare how this might feel. The NBA/NFL/MLB have all lost big time players over the years like Fernandez from the Marlins a couple years back but Kobe reached a WIDE audience and it has impacts far reaching beyond NBA/Lakers fans. 

I think Kobe's daughter being on board also added a lot to how this story ends and it hit home to many people who might not have even been huge NBA fans. 

There are plenty of things to get offended about with how the coverage was done yesterday be it TMZ reporting it way ahead of the local authorities/officials who had no chance to secure the area and gather information...or ABC/ESPN not cutting away from the Pro Bowl coverage fast enough to cover this story, just remember that it's perfectly normal during these tragedies. People are going to be angry and upset and mad and you just can't expect everyone to eat it and so I think thru social media you're going to see a lot of snarky things, I wouldn't let it impact you too much. There is legit reasons to discuss it all but it's going to spin this thread into something none of us really want.  

Dale Earnhardt’s passing was a pretty big deal back in the day. 

 

[Rodrigo Duterte]

There were more than one eyewitness who said the chopper made some odd noises prior to the crash.  One guy said it sounded like a backfire. Another claimed the engine was sputtering.

 

[CurlyNight]

Ernie Johnson pointed out a great lesson. Kobe and Shaq mended their friendship and became close. Reach out and mend your relationships before it's too late. Watching ESPN and seeing the broadcasters not able to hold their tears, with Hannah Storm sniffing and starting to lose it is crushing.

 

[Softballguy]

There were more than one eyewitness who said the chopper made some odd noises prior to the crash.  One guy said it sounded like a backfire. Another claimed the engine was sputtering.

It's worth noting that often, in any type of rotor or fixed wing crash, there's usually witness testimony of strange noises. 

Everything at this point is speculation, but it's highly unlikely this will be caused by a mechanical issue. 

 

[skillz]

JFK assassination

RFK assassination

MLK assassination

Mt. St Helens, maybe.

Deep Water Horizon, maybe.

JFK Jr was the first thing that struck me  - another young person killed in an aviation crash in his prime in bad weather/poor visibility.  

 

[Tool]

JFK Jr was the first thing that struck me  - another young person killed in an aviation crash in his prime in bad weather/poor visibility.  

Pretty good analogy.

Thurman Munson for me is the closest

ETA I was a yankee fan and a young kid, not saying he had nearly the worldwide appeal as Kobe 

 

[gianmarco]

I don’t want to get too deep into a which death was more impactful contest but the majority of the names mentioned are folks who were abusing or using drugs or pretty sick in Swayze’s case. Paul Walker being one of the exceptions. 
 

I don’t think any of those deaths invoked the same reaction worldwide were seeing yesterday and today. 
 

That’s just how I feel. Not saying I’m right. 

I get it.  And I wasn't necessarily trying to compare overall.  Just thinking of some relatively recent celebrity deaths that were kind of "whoa".  Of the ones I listed, Robin Williams (despite the cause of death) was a punch in the gut.  The 2 baseball players were also really difficult (especially Tavares here in St. Louis) and both were accidents, mostly because they were both so young and had promising careers still ahead of them.

Another one that I just thought of that hit me really, really hard, even though we knew he was sick, was Stuart Scott.  That guy was a fixture in my youth growing up on my favorite show on television.  I don't think there was ever a more perfect pairing than Stuart Scott and Rich Eisen.  Watching all the people on TV just lose it when trying to see goodbye to him was heart-wrenching. 

This one feels very similar because they both occupied a similar moment in my life. 

 

[eoMMan]

I guess Aaliyah was another one but that was almost 20 years ago.  Time flies.  I remember that one though.

 

[CletiusMaximus]

I went to bed for a few hours and didn't even know there was a fake video to be outraged about.

24/7 news cycle doesn't even wait for sleep. Nice society. 

My Google Assistant is set to wake me up if I happen to be sleeping through an outrage event, so I can document my outrage via social media on a timely basis.  There's really no point in being outraged about something after everyone else has already expressed their outrage while you were literally sleeping on the job.

 

[TheIronSheik]

My Google Assistant is set to wake me up if I happen to be sleeping through an outrage event, so I can document my outrage via social media on a timely basis.  There's really no point in being outraged about something after everyone else has already expressed their outrage while you were literally sleeping on the job.

Shark move is to always be outraged.  Why wait for something to outrage me?  I can't believe you would even suggest not being outraged all of the time.  This infuriates me! 

 

[rockaction]

My Google Assistant is set to wake me up if I happen to be sleeping through an outrage event, so I can document my outrage via social media on a timely basis.  There's really no point in being outraged about something after everyone else has already expressed their outrage while you were literally sleeping on the job.

  need to look into that. 

 

[menobrown]

I guess Aaliyah was another one but that was almost 20 years ago.  Time flies.  I remember that one though.

This is one I thought about because I'd read that the pilot was persuaded to fly over some objections he had about the plane carrying to much weight. Of course no idea of cause for Kobe's crash but at least wondered if pilot was coerced to fly in fog over his better judgement so it made me think about her crash.

 

[rockaction]

Shark move is to always be outraged.  Why wait for something to outrage me?  I can't believe you would even suggest not being outraged all of the time.  This infuriates me! 

I've been outraged about your lack of outrage from the beginning of the jump called outrage. How's that?

 

[rockaction]

This is one I thought about because I'd read that the pilot was persuaded to fly over some objections he had about the plane carrying to much weight. Of course no idea of cause for Kobe's crash but at least wondered if pilot was coerced to fly in fog over his better judgement so it made me think about her crash.

This is what the investigation will get at, I think. Nine (?) in the flight and the special visual conditions it was allowed to operate in. Of course, it will be done delicately, but that's what they seem to be getting at for now. 

 

[fissure man]

There were more than one eyewitness who said the chopper made some odd noises prior to the crash.  One guy said it sounded like a backfire. Another claimed the engine was sputtering.

It's worth noting that often, in any type of rotor or fixed wing crash, there's usually witness testimony of strange noises. 

Everything at this point is speculation, but it's highly unlikely this will be caused by a mechanical issue. 

I certainly let hope so. The only “good news” I hope to find out was that they never saw it coming. 
 

The steep climb and then abrupt fall gives me an uneasy feeling. 

 

[Anarchy99]

This is one I thought about because I'd read that the pilot was persuaded to fly over some objections he had about the plane carrying to much weight. Of course no idea of cause for Kobe's crash but at least wondered if pilot was coerced to fly in fog over his better judgement so it made me think about her crash.

I thought I saw somewhere that that particular helicopter had room for 12 people. I believe 3 of the victims were teenage girls. Not sure what would have prompted that they were carrying too much weight. But at this point who knows how accurate some of the reports are.

 

[rockaction]

I thought I saw somewhere that that particular helicopter had room for 12 people. I believe 3 of the victims were teenage girls. Not sure what would have prompted that they were carrying too much weight. But at this point who knows how accurate some of the reports are.

I don't think anything official about that. But they are investigating the conditions under which they were allowed to take off in, according to the NBC report I linked. 

 

[eoMMan]

I thought I saw somewhere that that particular helicopter had room for 12 people. I believe 3 of the victims were teenage girls. Not sure what would have prompted that they were carrying too much weight. But at this point who knows how accurate some of the reports are.

He's referring to the Aaliyah crash.  It was a smaller airplane and a big reason why it crashed was due to weight.  

 

[LAUNCH]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28QYy8lrww8

Very detailed account.

 

[menobrown]

I thought I saw somewhere that that particular helicopter had room for 12 people. I believe 3 of the victims were teenage girls. Not sure what would have prompted that they were carrying too much weight. But at this point who knows how accurate some of the reports are.

The possible correlation to Aliyah's crash and Kobe's was not weight related but more related to a pilot possibly not feeling conditions were safe but being coerced to take flight anyway with Kobe's chopper the issue being fog not weight.

Again I stress just possible, obviously I have no idea what made the plane crash or if the pilot at any point felt conditions were dicey but when I first heard conditions were not great it just made me think of Aliyah's crash.

 

[Softballguy]

I certainly let hope so. The only “good news” I hope to find out was that they never saw it coming. 
 

The steep climb and then abrupt fall gives me an uneasy feeling. 

As I mentioned earlier, the steep climb is expected when an aircraft runs into IIMC conditions. Height is your friend in those situations. But when entering IIMC there are a lot of things that can go wrong, and it's mostly a pilot error situation. 

As far as "good news" goes, many times it takes a tragedy like this to bring about positive change in the area of the tragedy. It sounds like they had special VFR clearance for this flight, which is puzzling to me... but again, I'm not a pilot. In the air medical field, a pilot may ask for special VFR clearance to fly home on the last leg of a patient transport. For example, a sick/injured patient is picked up, flown to a tertiary hospital, but then the ceiling height drops below minimums. A pilot might ask the FAA for clearance to fly from the hospital over to her hangar, assuming it's a well-known flight path and not a long trip. Not sure this type of flight really warrants this type of clearance. 

Couple other things... the idea that it was some kind of engine trouble is less likely given that this is a twin engine aircraft. It certainly can land safely with just one engine (done correctly, given the height they were flying, it can land safely with no engine power at all in what's called auto-rotation). The idea that it was too heavy is also very unlikely. This model is a beast. Especially given the children on board (as opposed to the Oakland Raiders' offensive line), I can't see weight being a factor at all. 

 

[NREC34]

James Dean, Knute Rockne and Will Rogers tear me up. 

 

[Ditkaless Wonders]

My Google Assistant is set to wake me up if I happen to be sleeping through an outrage event, so I can document my outrage via social media on a timely basis.  There's really no point in being outraged about something after everyone else has already expressed their outrage while you were literally sleeping on the job.

Solid precaution to have taken. 

 

[culdeus]

Because a pilot is trained to fly on instruments when they suddenly find themselves in soup and don’t know whether they are up or down, doesn’t mean a pilot will competently apply training when in the panic of suddenly not knowing they they are upside down. 

SoCal ATC was really nervous and tried to get him to join a track, but he couldn't for some reason take the 2500 feet.  I wonder if the guy simply just froze up in the blindness.  Seems plausible.  

 

[culdeus]

This is what the investigation will get at, I think. Nine (?) in the flight and the special visual conditions it was allowed to operate in. Of course, it will be done delicately, but that's what they seem to be getting at for now. 

Yeah, the Special VFR condition needed clearance.  That was something that wasn't immediately apparent yesterday if they could take off under IFR and clear for VFR or not, that approach is something you hear about billionaires trying to do in their own planes to save 90 seconds at a time..  The who/what/when of clearances of all GA stuff needs a really top to bottom look at.

 

[Mile High]

JUST finished reading about the other victims. So sad for everyone who knew them, their lose will be felt for years.   

 

[DocHolliday]

JUST finished reading about the other victims. So sad for everyone who knew them, their lose will be felt for years.   

Brutal.   The loss of young lives always hurts.  

 

[Mr.Pack]

Just heard on there radio,  not sure if true or not,  but they said Kobe's wife found out on Twitter. That TMZ just ran with it and didn't wait. 

 

[Capella]

Just heard on there radio,  not sure if true or not,  but they said Kobe's wife found out on Twitter. That TMZ just ran with it and didn't wait. 

That truly sucks but if any media outlet had that story sourced they are running with it. There isn’t a news org in the world that wouldn’t have.