WASHINGTON, Jan. 27 (dpa / EP) –
Agents investigating the helicopter crash that killed former American basketball player Kobe Bryant and eight other people in Calabasas (United States) on Sunday believe that adverse weather conditions could have caused the disaster, after an intense fog settle in the mountainous terrain of Los Angeles where the device crashed.
Although mechanical problems are also being investigated with the Sikorsky S-76B built in 1991, the dense fog could have caused visibility to be very low at the time of the accident, so much so that the Los Angeles police department could not pose its helicopters in The place of the accident.
“The weather situation did not meet our minimum standards for flying,” Los Angeles police department spokesman Josh Rubenstein told CNN. The station, however, also reported that Bryant's helicopter had special authorization to fly.
The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the accident, which occurred shortly before 10.00 local time Sunday in Calabasas and claimed the life of Bryant, 41, and his daughter Gianna, 13, along with seven other people. The FBI is also helping in the investigation.
Bryant was 'MVP' of the season in 2008, twice 'MVP' of the NBA Finals, five times champion and 18 times 'All-Star' in an illustrious 20-year career, all as a Los Angeles Lakers player. In addition, he won two Olympic gold medals with the United States in Beijing 2008 and London 2012.
He retired in 2016, scoring 60 points in his final game and finished his career with 33,643 points, now fourth on the all-time list after LeBron James beat him only one day before his death.