We’re still reeling from Sunday’s news of Kobe Bryant‘s passing in that horrific helicopter crash in Calabasas.
As we reported during the aftermath of that awful tragedy, the NBA star’s 13-year-old daughter Gianna also perished in the accident, along with seven other people who were associated with GiGi’s travel basketball team. Now, as the dust settles a day later, we’re starting to learn more about the crash, the rest of the victims, and everything else surrounding this unimaginable tragedy.
Related: The World Reacts To Kobe’s Tragic Death…
As of early Monday morning, all nine people on board the helicopter had been positively identified and confirmed deceased by authorities. Furthermore, there are more details starting to come out about the weather during the flight and the possible cause of the accident, itself.
Those nine people, and their stories, include:
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Kobe & Gianna Bryant
Kobe’s 20-year run in the NBA as one of the best basketball players of all time is, itself, an incredible achievement. His global impact on basketball, and on the sports world and culture in general, was immense, and it will never be forgotten.
Equally important in this story is the loss of his incredibly talented teen daughter, too. Kobe had been coaching Gianna in AAU basketball out of his Mamba Sports Academy training facility in Thousand Oaks for the past two years, and she was starting to become a very, very good player.
The second oldest of four daughters for Kobe and wife Vanessa, GiGi had her own aspirations to play pro basketball one day. In fact, in 2018, the former Los Angeles Lakers star spoke to Jimmy Kimmel about his talented girl, saying:
“This kid, man… the best thing that happens is when we go out, and fans will come up to me, and she’ll be standing next to me, and they will be like, ‘you gotta have a boy, you and [Vanessa] gotta have a boy man, to have somebody carry on the tradition, the legacy.’ And she’s like, ‘Oh, I got this. You don’t need no boy for that. I got this.’ And I’m like, ‘That’s right. Yes, you do. You got this.'”
So inspiring… and so, so tragic about a life cut far too short.
A College Baseball Legend & His Family
As we noted briefly in an update on Sunday, Orange Coast College head baseball coach John Altobelli, his wife Keri, and their young daughter Alyssa were also on board the helicopter at the time of the crash.
According to OCC assistant baseball coach Ron La Ruffa, “Alto” would “routinely” fly with Kobe to attend their daughters’ games, and the two had become friends in the basketball star’s retirement.
In a way, Altobelli was the “Kobe” of California college baseball. His OCC Pirates won the California state junior college baseball championship in 2019 and he was named national Coach of the Year at the level later that summer by the American Baseball Coaches Association. The Pirates’ 2020 season is set to open tomorrow afternoon in Costa Mesa, and now for the first time in more than two decades, it will do so without Altobelli at the helm.
We can’t even imagine what his players must be going through, let alone the Altobelli family’s close friends, loved ones, and extended family members. The 56-year-old coach and his wife leave behind an adult son and daughter. The coach’s brother, Tony Altobelli, released a statement to CNN, saying:
“There were two sides to John. People saw him on the baseball field, he’s gritty and tough as nails kind of guy but the other side of him, he was one of the biggest-hearted people you’ll meet in your life. He cared about his players, cared about his school.”
Such an awful, awful loss…
A Coach — And a “Beautiful Wife and Mom”
Christina Mauser, an assistant basketball coach at Harbor Day School in Corona del Mar, California, was also confirmed to have died in the helicopter crash. Not only was Mauser an exceptional basketball coach in her own right, she was a “beautiful wife and mom” who now leaves behind a husband and three young children.
Her husband, Matt Mauser, is a notable musical presence in Orange County as part of his band Tijuana Dogs. He was the one who first confirmed the news of his wife’s passing in the crash, posting an announcement on Facebook late Sunday afternoon:
“My kids and I are devastated. We lost our beautiful wife and mom today in a helicopter crash. Please respect our privacy. Thank you for all the well wishes they mean so much.”
Early on Monday morning, he joined TODAY on a live, on-air phone call, and spoke more about his wife’s passing, adding possibly the most tragic line of this entire thing:
“It’s horrible. It’s horrible. I’ve got three small kids, and I’m trying to figure out how to navigate life with three kids and no mom.”
Ugh… our hearts…
Later in the day, Costa Mesa mayor Katrina Foley shared another statement on Mauser’s passing in the tragedy, adding:
“I just learned that our amazing Matt Mauser of TijuanaDogs lost his wife Christina in the crash. She coached the girls team. This devastating tragedy gets worse by the hour. So much pain for so many local families. Our hearts are broken & grieving for the families impacted.”
To think of Mauser’s three kids, and how suddenly their lives have now changed forever… this is the worst.
Another Mom & Daughter From The Team
The seventh and eighth victims identified in the crash were Sarah Chester and her daughter, Payton, who were the final two passengers in that helicopter. As was the case with the Altobelli family, Payton was on Gianna’s basketball team, and her mother had been along for the ride to the game, too.
While there’s relatively less public information to come out so far about the Chesters, Todd Schmidt — the principal at Harbor View Elementary School where Payton had previously attended — confirmed the death with a touching Facebook post on Sunday evening, writing:
“While the world mourns the loss of a dynamic athlete and humanitarian, I mourn the loss of two people just as important… their impact was just as meaningful, their loss will be just as keenly felt, and our hearts are just as broken.”
Ugh…
The Pilot
Late on Sunday night, friends identified Ara Zobayan as the pilot involved in the crash.
According to a KTLA report, Zobayan “taught aspiring helicopter pilots to fly, and was very much loved in the aviation community.”
Based on records from the Federal Aviation Authority, Zobayan had first received his commercial pilot certificate in 2007. By all accounts, he was a very experienced helicopter pilot.
The Investigation Begins…
As previously noted, all the passengers involved were headed to a basketball game in Thousand Oaks when the helicopter crashed a little before 10:00 a.m. local time in Calabasas. According to officials who spoke to CNN, there was “extremely low visibility” in the area at the time of the crash, with foggy conditions present. A local police spokesperson further told the outlet that weather conditions in the Calabasas area at the time “did not meet the minimum standards for flying.”
Based on the helicopter’s flight path, it appears the pilot realized that exact issue as they got closer to Thousand Oaks, flying in from the east. Per flight radar data, the last move the helicopter made is the first part of what appears to be a 180-degree turn and steep climb upwards to turn back away from the foggy weather and climb high to safety east over the San Fernando Valley. Unfortunately, during the turn, it appears the helicopter ran into an obscured side of the mountain that was not visible to the pilot due to the thick fog present at the time.
The FAA, the National Transportation Safety Board, and the FBI all reached the scene on Sunday, and all are now investigating the crash. Per CBS, early reports suggest a “CFIT” — what’s known as a “controlled flight into terrain” based on the radar evidence and weather conditions. Of course, the cause will be fully confirmed in time based on the results of the investigation.
A remarkably eagle-eyed eyewitness at the crash site further reflected on the events of Sunday morning, too:
Wow. Sobering stuff.
Our thoughts and prayers continue to be with Kobe’s family, friends, and loved ones, and all the rest of the families and loved of those tragically involved in Sunday’s crash. It still doesn’t seem real.
RIP…
[Image via Instagram]
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