Bodies recovered from site of Bryant helicopter crash

LOS ANGELES — The bodies of Kobe Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, and seven others who died in a helicopter crash have been recovered from a Calabasas hillside, coroner’s officials said Tuesday.

Authorities on Sunday removed the bodies of at least three victims from the wreckage. Remains of the other six were located Monday, and their bodies have been taken to the Los Angeles County coroner’s forensic science center, where officials will work to identify them.

The cause of the crash remained a mystery.

“There wasn’t a black box, and there isn’t a requirement to have a black box” on this helicopter, said Jennifer Homendy, a member of the National

Transportation Safety Board.

But there was an ipad in the helicopter that included the Foreflight application, which pilots use while in the air to review flight plans, monitor weather briefings and more, she said. Investigators will review all the evidence recovered from the crash site, which extended about 500 to 600 feet away from the center of the wreckage.

“There is an impact area on one of the hills, and a piece of the tail is down the hill on the left side of the hill,” Homendy said. “The fuselage is on the other side of that hill. Then the main rotor is about a hundred yards beyond that.”

During the flight, the fog was so thick that the pilot had to get special visual clearance from air traffic controllers before continuing. Some experts have speculated that pilot Ara Zobayan might have become disoriented.

The Calabasas hillside has become a pilgrimage point for thousands of tourists and fans of the NBA legend, prompting Los Angeles County sheriff’s officials to urge the public to stay away. Sheriff Alex Villanueva warned onlookers that it is a misdemeanor to enter the crash site. Deputies are patrolling the site on horseback and ATVS, he said.

The helicopter was taking Bryant and his group from Orange County to his basketball camp in Thousand Oaks, where he was scheduled to coach a game in which Gianna was scheduled to play.