Kobe Bryant crash: ‘Weather looking OK’ said pilot, new documents reveal
Getty ImagesNew details of the helicopter crash which killed NBA star Kobe Bryant and daughter Gianna, have been revealed.
Pilot Ara Zobayan told air traffic controllers he was climbing, when in fact he was descending, shortly before the crash.
It's believed he was disorientated due to thick fog.
These new details are from 1,700 pages of reports released by the National Transportation Safety Board, which has been investigating the accident.
The NTSB states that "no conclusions about how or why the crash occurred should be drawn from the information".
It says analysis of the new documents and probable cause will be issued "at a later date".
'Weather looking OK'
US reports state that in Ara Zobayan's last radio transmission, he said he was climbing to 4,000ft to get above the clouds.
Instead, the helicopter plunged into a hillside in the city of Calabasas, California, killing all nine people inside.
The newly released documents include text messages shared between Ara, Kobe's drivers and other people involved in Kobe's flight.
They discussed conditions before the flight, with Ara saying: "Weather looking OK" at 7:30am on the day of the accident.
He also messaged to say that conditions "should be OK" for the planned 9am departure.
The crash took place on Sunday, 26 January and resulted in a huge outpouring of tributes from people across the USA and worldwide.
Kobe, a five-time NBA champion, played for the LA Lakers throughout his career and is considered one of the greatest players in the game's history.
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