Kobe Bryant: pilot warned ‘you’re too low’ before crash killed NBA star, daughter

Just minutes before Kobe Bryant’s helicopter crashed, air traffic control warned the pilot he was flying ‘too low’.

Just minutes before Kobe Bryant’s helicopter crashed into a ­Californian hillside — killing the 41-year-old basketball superstar, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others on board — local air traffic control warned the pilot he was flying “too low” in the treacherous conditions.

Bryant, widely considered one of the greatest basketballers of all time, was travelling in his ­private Sikorsky S-76 helicopter to his daughter’s basketball game in Thousand Oaks, in northwestern Los Angeles on Sunday morning (Monday AEST) when it crashed at high speed amid thick fog.

The chopper exploded into flames upon impact, the debris strewn across a kilometre.

It later emerged that the Los Angeles Police Department had grounded its entire helicopter fleet due to the fog.

“The weather situation did not meet our minimum standards for flying,” LAPD spokesman Josh Rubenstein said.

The fog “was enough that we were not flying”, he said.

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Air traffic control audio ­revealed the final communications between the pilot and the tower as the helicopter navigated around the Van Nuys airport just prior to the crash.

The last audible dispatch was the controller telling the pilot: “You’re still too low.”

But there were no indications that the pilot was experiencing any mechanical difficulties.

Kurt Deetz, a former pilot for Island Express Helicopters who used to fly Bryant in the Sikorsky helicopter, described the weather conditions as “not good at all”.

The weather was a more likely cause of the crash than engine issues, he told the Los Angeles Times. “The likelihood of a catastrophic twin-engine failure on that aircraft — it just doesn’t happen,” he said.

The death of the former Los Angeles Laker prompted an outpouring of grief across the world.

“That is terrible news!” Donald Trump tweeted, while Barack Obama referred to him as “a ­legend on the court and just getting started in what would have been just as meaningful a second act”.

Reports are that basketball great Kobe Bryant and three others have been killed in a helicopter crash in California. That is terrible news!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 26, 2020

Kobe was a legend on the court and just getting started in what would have been just as meaningful a second act. To lose Gianna is even more heartbreaking to us as parents. Michelle and I send love and prayers to Vanessa and the entire Bryant family on an unthinkable day.

— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) January 26, 2020

Former Chicago Bulls star ­Michael Jordan said “words can’t describe the pain I am feeling”.

“I loved Kobe — he was like a little brother to me,” Jordan said.

Australian basketball star Ben Simmons said the world had “lost a legend”.

“Kobe Bryant was someone who I looked up to, a fierce competitor, a champion, an icon,” Simmons said.

The world lost a legend today. Kobe Bryant was someone who I looked up to, a fierce competitor, a Champion, an icon. His dominance and relentless spirit translated both on and off the court. Your fans across the world loved you with such passion and you never let them down. 1/3

— Ben Simmons (@BenSimmons25) January 27, 2020

“His dominance and relentless ­spirit translated both on and off the court.

“Your fans across the world loved you with such passion and you never let them down.”

Former Australia captain ­Andrew Gaze first met Bryant when they were Adidas-­sponsored athletes and toured Australia in 1998 for the sports brand. He also played against Bryant during his time in the NBA from 1993-1999.

“I saw the way in which you had to prepare to compete against someone like Kobe Bryant and it was not the norm,” he said.

“He was just an amazing ­athlete.”

Former WNBA player Lauren Jackson described Bryant as a champion of women’s sport.

“For his daughters I think he wanted role models who they could look up to,” she said.

“He ­really embraced women’s basketball, which was incredible.

“I think he was one of the first male champions of the women’s game.”

Alongside Bryant and his daughter Gianna, other victims of the crash included head baseball coach at Orange Coast College, John Altobelli, his wife Keri and daughter Alyssa.

Another junior basketball coach, Christina Mauser, was also among the dead. Police have yet to name the three other victims.

Bryant would often use his helicopter to fly from his home near Newport Beach to the Lakers games at the Staples Centre.

Australian Helicopter Industry Association chairman Ray Cronin said the Sikorsky S-76 was a 14-person, twin-engine aircraft that was very capable of flying in all weather conditions.

“It depends on the qualifications of the crew, whether they’re instrument-rated or not,” Mr ­Cronin said.

“If you were instrument-rated you’d be up high, well clear of fog. It sounds very odd.”

He said the S-76 was not cheap, costing about $20.5m new.

“It’s a beautiful helicopter with a long history. They’re used extensively for offshore work and for medical retrievals,” Mr ­Cronin said.

Additional reporting: Robyn Ironside

Kobe Bryant with wife Vanessa and daughters Natalia and Gianna. Picture: AP.