Basketball icon Kobe Bryant was among nine people who died in a helicopter crash involving a 1991 Sikorsky S-76B in Calabasas, California, on Sunday morning.
Bryant, 41 – considered to be one of the greatest players of all time – and his daughter Gianna, 13, were believed to be on their way to the star’s basketball academy in Thousand Oaks, California, when the Sikorsky went down just south of the 101 freeway at 9:47 am local time. According to the Los Angeles County sheriff, there were eight passengers and one pilot on board.
The helicopter lifted off from John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana, California, at 9:06 am and eventually slammed into a hillside in conditions described as low ceilings and heavy fog. The helicopter, which was registered to Island Express Holding, was believed to be flying with one pilot aboard.
