Kobe’s Last Moments Detailed
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PostPosted: Sun Feb 09, 2020 12:36 pm    Post subject: Kobe’s Last Moments Detailed

https://www.google.com/amp/s/popculture.com/sports/amp/2020/02/09/kobe-bryant-last-moments-detailed-new-reconstruction-report/

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While helicopter flights may not have been an especially big deal for Bryant and his family, his final 24 hours did reveal some surprisingly poignant moments.

Here is what we know now about the last few moments of Bryant's storied life:

Bryant spent Saturday at the Mamba Sports Academy for the first day of the big tournament. It was the first tournament for Team Mamba, Gianna's team. That day, the helicopter flight there and back went off without a hitch. The team played at noon and again at 2 p.m. PT. Competitors ranged in age from 9 to 14 and came from all over the state.

Back home in Orange County, took his 3-year-old daughter Bianka to an outdoor mall called Fashion Island at about 5 p.m. They were seen holding hands as she walked beside him in a Minnie Mouse jacket. They paused for a moment to watch fish swimming in a display koi pond.

Bryant later kept his eyes on the Lakers' game against the 76ers in Philadelphia that night. He knew that LeBron James would likely beat his career scoring record that night, and he made the final social media post of his life congratulating James.

"Continuing to move the game forward," he wrote. "Much respect my brother."

Bryant reportedly called James to congratulate him personally as well, just after 8 p.m. PT. James put Bryant on speakerphone so that he could speak to the whole team.

Bryant was reportedly up before sunrise as usual on Sunday, Jan. 26. He drove five miles from his home to Our Lady Queen of Angels, the Catholic church his family was a part of.

A priest told reporters that he bumped into Bryant leaving before first mass even began. He guessed that the NBA star had been praying, and noted a drop of holy water on his forehead.

Bryant reportedly spoke to James on the phone again after leaving church. The contents of their call is between them, but James hung up to get on the team's plane, which took them from Philadelphia back home to Los Angeles.

Bryant then sent an private Instagram message to Shareef O'Neal, son of Shaquille O'Neal, at 8:19 a.m. He was apparently just checking in after not hearing from O'Neal for a few months, asking: "You good fam?"

Finally, at 8:45 a.m., Bryant and Gianna left home to head to the airport. One man recalled seeing them at a stop light on the way, talking and laughing in the front seat.

There were six other people in the so-called "Mamba Chopper" on that Sunday morning, all at Bryant's invitation. They included two of Gianna's teammates, 14-year-old Alyssa Altobelli and 13-year-old Payton Chester, as well as Chester's mother Sarah and Altobelli's parents, Keri and John.

John Altobelli, a well-known as the coach of the Orange Coast College baseball team, was reportedly at work on Saturday, forcing him to miss the start of the tournament, but he planned to go on Sunday. His assistant coach told reporters that he was dreading the 90-minute drive, until he got a phone call from Bryant.

"Sweet. Kobe's taking us in the chopper," he reportedly said.

The Altobellis lived nearby Bryant, while the Chesters lived a bit to the south. The final passenger was the team's coach Christina Mauser, who lived to the north. Pilot Ara Zobayan lived near her.

All of the passengers had been asked to meet at John Wayne Airport at 9 a.m. for the flight. There, they reportedly found a lounge crowded with glum passengers, who found that their flights had been grounded due to poor weather. They watched CBS Sunday Morning or played with their phones.

Bryant's party was allowed to skip this wait. Parking his Range Rover in his familiar spot, he led his group into another lounge, then out into the Sikorsky S-76B helicopter registered as N72EX, but affectionately referred to as the "Mamba Chopper."

Several of the passengers who saw Bryant's party pass through the stalled airport said that they were still waiting there an hour later when news of the crash broke online and on TV.

Bryant was well-known for relying on helicopter transportation over the years, and he explained the touching reason why in a 2018 interview with The Corp. He said that flying over the infamous southern California traffic allowed him to "still train and focus on the craft, but not compromise family time."

“So, that's when I looked into helicopters," he said. "[I'd] be able to get down and back in fifteen minutes. So my routine was always the same: weights early in the morning, kids to school, fly down, practice like crazy, do my extra work — media, everything I needed to do — fly back, get back in the carpool line and pick the kids up."

"My wife was like 'listen, I can pick them up,'" Bryant recalled. "I'm like, 'no no no! I want to do that. Because you know, you have road trips and times when you don't see your kids, man. So like, every time I got the chance to see them and spend time with them, even if it's 20 minutes in the car... like, I want that."



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PostPosted: Sun Feb 09, 2020 12:47 pm    Post subject:

Quote:
"My wife was like 'listen, I can pick them up,'" Bryant recalled. "I'm like, 'no no no! I want to do that. Because you know, you have road trips and times when you don't see your kids, man. So like, every time I got the chance to see them and spend time with them, even if it's 20 minutes in the car... like, I want that."
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PostPosted: Sun Feb 09, 2020 12:53 pm    Post subject:

The people waiting at the same stalled airport who then learned of the crash while still sitting there... I bet grumbling and complaints turned to gratefulness.
I never understand people who complain when they're stuck at the airport due to weather or mechanical issues.
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PostPosted: Sun Feb 09, 2020 1:15 pm    Post subject:

Damn so LeBron spoke to him again the morning of. And than to find out on the flight back to LA what had happen..
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PostPosted: Sun Feb 09, 2020 1:16 pm    Post subject:

dcastillo wrote:
Damn so LeBron spoke to him again the morning of. And than to find out on the flight back to LA what had happen..


Freaking nuts. Uggh
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PostPosted: Sun Feb 09, 2020 1:19 pm    Post subject:

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John Altobelli, a well-known as the coach of the Orange Coast College baseball team, was reportedly at work on Saturday, forcing him to miss the start of the tournament, but he planned to go on Sunday. His assistant coach told reporters that he was dreading the 90-minute drive, until he got a phone call from Bryant.

"Sweet. Kobe's taking us in the chopper," he reportedly said.


You just never know in life. Perspective.

RIP.
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PostPosted: Sun Feb 09, 2020 1:23 pm    Post subject:

LakerSD wrote:
Quote:
John Altobelli, a well-known as the coach of the Orange Coast College baseball team, was reportedly at work on Saturday, forcing him to miss the start of the tournament, but he planned to go on Sunday. His assistant coach told reporters that he was dreading the 90-minute drive, until he got a phone call from Bryant.

"Sweet. Kobe's taking us in the chopper," he reportedly said.


You just never know in life. Perspective.

RIP.


ANY decision you make has the potential to be THE catalyst for your own death. We can’t live our day to day lives dwelling on this fact, of course. But the fact remains. Should I or shouldn’t I?? Who knows..
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PostPosted: Sun Feb 09, 2020 1:29 pm    Post subject:

Kobe with daughter Bianka the evening before at Fashion Island Mall

https://twitter.com/mightycalvillo/status/1221852753179209729?s=21

Videos:
https://twitter.com/ashleybbank/status/1222231295725490176?s=21
https://twitter.com/abc7jessica/status/1221615089276481538?s=21
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PostPosted: Sun Feb 09, 2020 1:31 pm    Post subject:

LaLaLakeShow wrote:
LakerSD wrote:
Quote:
John Altobelli, a well-known as the coach of the Orange Coast College baseball team, was reportedly at work on Saturday, forcing him to miss the start of the tournament, but he planned to go on Sunday. His assistant coach told reporters that he was dreading the 90-minute drive, until he got a phone call from Bryant.

"Sweet. Kobe's taking us in the chopper," he reportedly said.


You just never know in life. Perspective.

RIP.


ANY decision you make has the potential to be THE catalyst for your own death. We can’t live our day to day lives dwelling on this fact, of course. But the fact remains. Should I or shouldn’t I?? Who knows..


Yeah didn’t write it to sway opinion, just crazy how when it’s your time it’s your time.
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PostPosted: Sun Feb 09, 2020 1:38 pm    Post subject:

Jordan-esque wrote:
Kobe with daughter Bianka the evening before at Fashion Island Mall

https://twitter.com/mightycalvillo/status/1221852753179209729?s=21

Videos:
https://twitter.com/ashleybbank/status/1222231295725490176?s=21
https://twitter.com/abc7jessica/status/1221615089276481538?s=21


Best dad I have ever seen... he was a child at heart. This is why he was so curious about learning and everything else.
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PostPosted: Sun Feb 09, 2020 1:52 pm    Post subject:

LakerSD wrote:
LaLaLakeShow wrote:
LakerSD wrote:
Quote:
John Altobelli, a well-known as the coach of the Orange Coast College baseball team, was reportedly at work on Saturday, forcing him to miss the start of the tournament, but he planned to go on Sunday. His assistant coach told reporters that he was dreading the 90-minute drive, until he got a phone call from Bryant.

"Sweet. Kobe's taking us in the chopper," he reportedly said.


You just never know in life. Perspective.

RIP.


ANY decision you make has the potential to be THE catalyst for your own death. We can’t live our day to day lives dwelling on this fact, of course. But the fact remains. Should I or shouldn’t I?? Who knows..


Yeah didn’t write it to sway opinion, just crazy how when it’s your time it’s your time.


Definitely
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PostPosted: Sun Feb 09, 2020 2:49 pm    Post subject:

I read that the Angels are wearing OCC hats for their first spring training game
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PostPosted: Sun Feb 09, 2020 5:45 pm    Post subject:

That same article has more details about cause of the accident.

Quote:
The company that Zobayan was working for, Island Express, was not certified to fly with instruments, so he had to rely on Visual Flight Rules (VFR) or Special VFR in certain circumstances.

Ultimately, it was up to Zobayan to decide whether it was safe to take off, not authorities or air traffic controllers. It is not clear whether he consulted with management at Island Express, but friends said that he might have felt pressured to fly since he had a celebrity client.

They also noted that Zoboyan likely thought he could land or turn back if the weather worsened on the way. Finally, the pilot would have been familiar with this trip, having made it the day before with Bryant.

The helicopter took off at 9:06 a.m. PT.

Zobayan reached an altitude between 700 and 800 feet, keeping the helicopter just below the clouds. They began at a pace of about 170 miles per hour heading north towards Los Angeles.

The thick clouds prevented Zobayan from veering west like the day before, as he could not fly high enough to get over the Hollywood Hills. Instead, he flew low, following the path of I-5 on the ground.

The helicopter circled for a while as Glendale air traffic controllers kept Zobayan in a holding pattern. A NetJets charter from Tuscon, Arizona was passing by, flying with instruments instead of VFR. The Mamba Chopper circled five times in 11 minutes, slowing to about 70 miles per hour.

Controllers re-routed the chopper again to avoid another inbound plane, this time forcing them to take a wide path over the San Fernando Valley. It was clocked 1,400 feet at 9:39 a.m., following Highway 101 towards Camarillo.

Zobayan radioed air traffic controllers to request flight following, which means that they would track his path and provide advisories ahead of him. However, he still needed to stay below the clouds to maximize visibility, which prevented controllers from following his movements with radar.

"Two Echo X-Ray, you're still too low level for flight following at this time," controllers reportedly said, addressing Zobayan with the helicopter's code.

Finally, Zobayan called controllers again at 9:45 a.m., saying he was climbing in altitude to avoid the cloud layer. The aircraft rose about 1,000 feet in 36 seconds. At a height of about 2,300 feet, it made a broad partial U-turn to the left, then started a steep descent.

This was the last communication the Mamba Chopper made before it crashed. The official time for the impact is noted as 9:45 a.m.

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PostPosted: Sun Feb 09, 2020 7:15 pm    Post subject:

Why did the helicopter start to a make a deep descent? Is that after hitting a mountain?
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PostPosted: Sun Feb 09, 2020 7:24 pm    Post subject:

LakerSD wrote:
LaLaLakeShow wrote:
LakerSD wrote:
Quote:
John Altobelli, a well-known as the coach of the Orange Coast College baseball team, was reportedly at work on Saturday, forcing him to miss the start of the tournament, but he planned to go on Sunday. His assistant coach told reporters that he was dreading the 90-minute drive, until he got a phone call from Bryant.

"Sweet. Kobe's taking us in the chopper," he reportedly said.


You just never know in life. Perspective.

RIP.


ANY decision you make has the potential to be THE catalyst for your own death. We can’t live our day to day lives dwelling on this fact, of course. But the fact remains. Should I or shouldn’t I?? Who knows..


Yeah didn’t write it to sway opinion, just crazy how when it’s your time it’s your time.


Yup, you never know when your last day comes. All you can do is live your life to the fullest and spend as much time with the ones you love as you can.
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PostPosted: Sun Feb 09, 2020 9:56 pm    Post subject:

Nothing I have the courage or desire to ever know

Maybe if it were Trump I'd want to know

August 23 1978 is the most important day in Kobe history for me.
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PostPosted: Mon Feb 10, 2020 6:25 am    Post subject:

scout0_0 wrote:
Jordan-esque wrote:
Kobe with daughter Bianka the evening before at Fashion Island Mall

https://twitter.com/mightycalvillo/status/1221852753179209729?s=21

Videos:
https://twitter.com/ashleybbank/status/1222231295725490176?s=21
https://twitter.com/abc7jessica/status/1221615089276481538?s=21


Best dad I have ever seen... he was a child at heart. This is why he was so curious about learning and everything else.

So nice.

I miss Kobe.
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PostPosted: Mon Feb 10, 2020 10:05 am    Post subject:

If planes were grounded why did the pilot fly????
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PostPosted: Mon Feb 10, 2020 11:02 am    Post subject:

VujacicForThree wrote:
If planes were grounded why did the pilot fly????


Smaller police helicopters were grounded
When he left he had full clearance fmu
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PostPosted: Mon Feb 10, 2020 11:08 am    Post subject:

LaLaLakeShow wrote:
dcastillo wrote:
Damn so LeBron spoke to him again the morning of. And than to find out on the flight back to LA what had happen..


Freaking nuts. Uggh


Yeah, and we now know why Lebron was so distraught on the tarmac back in LA. Even though some folks here said it was just a photo op. Smh
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PostPosted: Mon Feb 10, 2020 11:20 am    Post subject:

VujacicForThree wrote:
If planes were grounded why did the pilot fly????


So Kobe's party even saw the grounded passengers at the airport yet they still determined to fly. I can only guess this pilot had flown in this condition before and Kobe had the utmost trust and confidence in his pilot that he allowed the pilot to take off.
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PostPosted: Mon Feb 10, 2020 12:10 pm    Post subject:

lakersfever714 wrote:
VujacicForThree wrote:
If planes were grounded why did the pilot fly????


So Kobe's party even saw the grounded passengers at the airport yet they still determined to fly. I can only guess this pilot had flown in this condition before and Kobe had the utmost trust and confidence in his pilot that he allowed the pilot to take off.


It says right there on the article:

Quote:
The company that Zobayan was working for, Island Express, was not certified to fly with instruments, so he had to rely on Visual Flight Rules (VFR) or Special VFR in certain circumstances.

Ultimately, it was up to Zobayan to decide whether it was safe to take off, not authorities or air traffic controllers. It is not clear whether he consulted with management at Island Express, but friends said that he might have felt pressured to fly since he had a celebrity client.

They also noted that Zoboyan likely thought he could land or turn back if the weather worsened on the way. Finally, the pilot would have been familiar with this trip, having made it the day before with Bryant.

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PostPosted: Mon Feb 10, 2020 12:33 pm    Post subject:

lakersfever714 wrote:
VujacicForThree wrote:
If planes were grounded why did the pilot fly????


So Kobe's party even saw the grounded passengers at the airport yet they still determined to fly. I can only guess this pilot had flown in this condition before and Kobe had the utmost trust and confidence in his pilot that he allowed the pilot to take off.

Kobe couldnt give the go ahead for a pilot to fly or not and I doubt Kobe would put his daughter and other kids/families at risk by pressuring a pilot to make a trip that was deemed unsafe.
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PostPosted: Mon Feb 10, 2020 12:39 pm    Post subject:

At the end of the day it is incumbent upon the pilot (and legally his employer/company) to make the call. Kobe isn't piloting it and even if he was "pressuring" (doubt it), it's the pilot's call. Very tragic and looks more like it could have been prevented.
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PostPosted: Mon Feb 10, 2020 12:48 pm    Post subject:

Jordan-esque wrote:
lakersfever714 wrote:
VujacicForThree wrote:
If planes were grounded why did the pilot fly????


So Kobe's party even saw the grounded passengers at the airport yet they still determined to fly. I can only guess this pilot had flown in this condition before and Kobe had the utmost trust and confidence in his pilot that he allowed the pilot to take off.


It says right there on the article:

Quote:
The company that Zobayan was working for, Island Express, was not certified to fly with instruments, so he had to rely on Visual Flight Rules (VFR) or Special VFR in certain circumstances.

Ultimately, it was up to Zobayan to decide whether it was safe to take off, not authorities or air traffic controllers. It is not clear whether he consulted with management at Island Express, but friends said that he might have felt pressured to fly since he had a celebrity client.

They also noted that Zoboyan likely thought he could land or turn back if the weather worsened on the way. Finally, the pilot would have been familiar with this trip, having made it the day before with Bryant.



What I'm having a hard time understanding, is that if normal planes were grounded because the weather was deemed unsafe, why would a helicopter not follow the same protocol? The more I look into this the more I feel this could have been prevented. Even when I drive, all it takes is for one person to make a mistake for someone to die.
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