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BASKET-NBA-BRYANT-DEATH
Kobe Bryant’s body identified among helicopter crash victims
LOS ANGELES, Jan 29, 2020 (BSS/AFP) – Medical examiners identified the body
of NBA legend Kobe Bryant after recovering the remains of all nine people who
died in a helicopter crash near Los Angeles, officials said Tuesday.
Bryant’s body was officially identified along with three others using
fingerprints, two days after their helicopter crashed into a rugged hillside
northwest of the city.
Meanwhile federal investigators finished their inspection of the crash
site, handing it over to local authorities.
“We are done on the site,” said Jennifer Homendy, a member of the National
Transportation Safety Board.
Images showed investigators earlier flying drones over the accident site
and manually combing through twisted, charred wreckage of the helicopter,
which was scattered over a wide area of 600 feet (180 meters).
Officials also used drones to replicate the helicopter’s final, fateful
flight path, Homendy said.
Earlier Tuesday, the coroner’s office confirmed all nine bodies have been
retrieved from the site and “transported to the department’s forensic science
center” for examination.
The bodies of pilot Ara Zobayan, baseball coach John Altobelli and Sarah
Chester have also been identified.
The remaining five — including Bryant’s 13-year-old daughter Gianna —
have not yet been officially identified.
The death of Bryant — a five-time NBA champion for the LA Lakers and
double Olympic gold medalist — has shocked the world, with tributes
continuing to pour in Tuesday.
– ‘Pretty devastating’ –
Bryant, 41, was traveling with daughter Gianna and seven other passengers
and crew when the Sikorsky S-76 slammed into a hillside in thick fog in
Calabasas, northwest of LA.
The helicopter was headed to Bryant’s Mamba Sports Academy in Thousand
Oaks, where his daughter was set to play.
Homendy described the accident as a “high energy impact crash,” having
earlier labelled the crash scene as “pretty devastating.”
Homendy said the helicopter did not have a “terrain awareness and warning
system” installed. The NTSB in 2004 had recommended to federal aviation
authorities that the system be required on all helicopters with six or more
passenger seats, but the recommendation was not adopted, she added.
Investigators have now airlifted the helicopter’s wreckage onto trucks,
which then transported it to a secure location for further examination.
An iPad, cellphone and maintenance records were found among the wreckage,
along with “everything we would expect would be on the aircraft,” said
Homendy.
She told journalists that the probable cause for the accident may not be
confirmed for 12-18 months, when a final report will be issued.
A preliminary, fact-based report is expected in 10 days.
– ‘Heartbroken and devastated’ –
The other passengers on the flight — who have not yet been officially
identified — have been named as Altobelli’s wife Keri, and their daughter
Alyssa, who played basketball at the same club as Gianna.
Christina Mauser, an assistant coach of the Mamba girls’ basketball team,
was also killed along with Payton Chester, Sarah’s daughter.
Mourning fans Tuesday placed bouquets of flowers at a makeshift memorial
outside the gated community in Newport Beach, south of Los Angeles, where the
late NBA great lived.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said a tribute to Bryant
would be included in next month’s Oscars ceremony telecast.
The star, who won an Academy Award in 2018 for animated short film “Dear
Basketball,” had been honored with a moment’s silence at the Oscars nominees
luncheon on Monday.
A petition for the NBA logo to be redesigned with Bryant’s likeness had
reached two million signatures by Tuesday afternoon.
The NBA postponed Tuesday’s Lakers game against the Los Angeles Clippers.
Basketball superstar LeBron James said he was “heartbroken and devastated”
over Bryant’s death in an emotional Instagram post, while also vowing to
continue his friend’s championship legacy with the Lakers.
Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic donned a jersey bearing Bryant’s
initials and shirt numbers at the Australian Open tennis tournament in
Melbourne.
With the crash site becoming a pilgrimage point for fans, police on
horseback and all-terrain vehicles have been brought in to secure the area.
BSS/AFP/AU/09:15 hrs