Map: Kobe Bryant helicopter route from takeoff to deadly crash
Map: Kobe Bryant helicopter route from takeoff to deadly crash
by Steven Rosenberg
According to data from flightradar24.com, the helicopter that crashed on Sunday, Jan. 26, 2020, in Calabasas, carrying nine people including Lakers legend Kobe Bryant, 41, his daughter Gianna, 13, an Orange County baseball coach and others, took off from John Wayne Airport on the way to Gianna’s basketball practice in Newbury Park when it crashed into a Calabasas hillside.
Orange Coast College baseball coach John Altobelli was also on the helicopter. There were no survivors.
Southern California skies were cloudy and foggy during the morning hours.
According to TMZ, the helicopter was heading to Mamba Sports Academy, 1011 Rancho Conejo Blvd. in Newbury Park for a basketball practice.
After leaving the airport in Santa Ana at 9:06 a.m., the helicopter — which FlightRadar24 said was a Silkorsky S76-B with tail number N72EX — headed northwest in the direction of the 5 Freeway, staying to the west of that roadway.
According to FlightRadar24’s data, the helicopter continued to follow the path of the 5 Freeway through the downtown LA area, heading up to Glendale.
The helicopter circled around the Glendale area waiting for guidance from air traffic control, according to reports.
The flight path shows the helicopter continuing to head north along the route of the 5 Freeway through Burbank, Sun Valley and Arleta.
At San Fernando Mission Boulevard near White Oak Avenue in the Granada Hills area, the helicopter started to head south through the Northridge, Chatsworth and Winnetka areas, flying over Pierce College in Woodland Hills.
It then headed west along the route of the 101 Freeway, making a turn to the south near Las Virgenes Road in the Calabasas area before crashing into a hillside near Las Virgenes Road and Willow Glen Street.
The crash was reported to authorities at 9:47 a.m.
We are providing free access to this article. Please consider supporting local journalism like this by purchasing a subscription.
All credit goes to Steven Rosenberg
Originally published on https://www.dailynews.com
