Vanessa Bryant is suing the helicopter company she blames for the death of her husband and their youngest daughter.
And that’s official. A Los Angeles Superior Court spokesperson confirmed on Monday that Mrs Bryant had filed a “wrongful death” lawsuit against Island Express Helicopters.
Basketball legend Kobe Bryant, 41, and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna were killed when the helicopter crashed on January 26. Seven others also died when it went down in a hilly region at Calabasas in California.
The party, it is understood, were on their way to a basketball tournament in which Gianna would have featured.
An investigation into the accident found no evidence of any major internal engine failure. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has revealed that both engines appeared to be working at the time of the crash.
Damage consistent with power rotation at time of impact
It was also stated that significant components of the helicopter were located within the wreckage area. An examination of main and tail rotor assemblies “found damage consistent with powered rotation at the time of impact.”
The investigation also revealed that videos and photos taken by the public at the accident featured fog and low clouds. Furthermore, they obscured many hilltops in the area.
Island Express Helicopters said in a company statement released on Monday: “This was a tragic accident. We will have no comment on the pending litigation.”
The company pointed out that following the accident it had suspended all of its services
It said in a statement: “The shock of the accident affected all staff, and management decided that service would be suspended until such time as it was deemed appropriate, both for staff and customers.”
Since his death, thousands of tributes have poured in from all around the globe for Bryant, clearly one of the world’s best-known and well-loved super stars of sport.
Michael Jordan is one of the latest sporting icons to do it. He made an emotional speech during a celebration of the life of Kobe and Gianna Bryant at Staples Center on Monday.
A detailed report of the crash
Meantime here is a detailed report of the tragic crash as reported by Wikipedia:
At 9:06 am (Pacific Standard Time) on January 26, 2020, a Sikorsky S-76 helicopter departed from John Wayne Airport in Orange County, California, with nine people aboard: Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, six family friends, and the pilot.
The helicopter was registered to the Fillmore-based Island Express Holding Corp., according to the California Secretary of State Business database. The group was traveling to Camarillo Airport in Ventura County for a basketball game at Bryant’s Mamba Academy in Thousand Oaks.
Due to light rain and fog that morning, the LAPD helicopters and most other air traffic were grounded.
The flight tracker showed that Bryant’s helicopter circled above the LA Zoo due to heavy air traffic in the area. At 9:30 am the pilot contacted the Burbank Airport’s control tower, notifying the tower of the situation and was told he was “flying too low” to be tracked by radar.
At that time, the helicopter experienced extreme fog and turned south towards the mountains. At 9:40 a.m. the helicopter climbed rapidly from 1,200 to 2,000 feet (370 to 610 m), flying at 161 knots (298 km/h or 185 mph).
At 9:45 am the helicopter crashed into the side of a mountain in Calabasas, about 30 miles (48 km) northwest of downtown Los Angeles, and began burning.
Bryant, his daughter, and the other seven occupants were all killed. The crash also started a quarter-acre bush fire.
At 9:47 am authorities were called. Los Angeles County Fire Department fire-fighters responded to the scene, and paramedics rappelled from a helicopter to the scene to look for survivors.
The fire was difficult to extinguish due to the presence of magnesium, but it had been extinguished by 10:30 am.