2020 Calabasas helicopter crash
On January 26, 2020, a Sikorsky S-76B helicopter crashed in the city of Calabasas, California, around 30 mi (48 km) northwest of Downtown Los Angeles, while en route from John Wayne Airport to Camarillo Airport. All nine people on board were killed: retired professional basketball player Kobe Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, baseball coach John Altobelli, his wife Keri, his daughter Alyssa, Payton Chester, her mother Sarah, basketball coach Christina Mauser, and the pilot, Ara Zobayan.
Investigators examining debris at the crash site the day after the accident | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | January 26, 2020, 9:45 AM |
| Summary | Flight into instrument meteorological conditions resulting in spatial disorientation and loss of control |
| Site | Calabasas, California, U.S. 34°8′12.7″N 118°41′32.3″W |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Sikorsky S-76B |
| Operator | Island Express Holdings Inc. |
| Registration | N72EX |
| Flight origin | John Wayne Airport, Orange County, California |
| Destination | Camarillo Airport, Camarillo, California |
| Occupants | 9 |
| Passengers | 8 |
| Crew | 1 |
| Fatalities | 9 |
| Survivors | 0 |
The accident was investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) which concluded that it was caused by continued VFR into IMC: the helicopter entered low cloud cover, which caused the pilot to lose his sense of orientation, and thence lose control.