While Kobe Bryant embraced the fast-moving lifestyle of owning his own helicopter, he clearly also recognized the dangers involved. In fact, according to a new report, Bryant and his wife Vanessa had a pact to never fly on their helicopter at the same time.
“He and Vanessa had a deal that they would never fly on a helicopter together,” a source told People magazine.
Both Bryant and his 13- year-old daughter Gianna Maria Onore were killed Sunday morning in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California, which left all nine people on board dead.
Bryant spoke about how the traffic in Los Angeles was costing him time with his family, in a 2018 interview with Barstool Sports.
“Traffic started getting really, really bad,” Bryant explained. “I wound up missing, like, a school play because I was sitting in traffic. I had to figure out a way where I could still train and focus on the craft but still not compromise family time.
“So that’s when I looked into helicopters, to be able to get down and back in 15 minutes, and that’s when it started.”
Bryant’s pilot, Ara Zobayan, lost visibility in the mountains of Calabasas after struggling to find a way around an exceptionally heavy fog in the Los Angeles area. Zobayan, however, did not slow down despite losing visibility and the chopper slammed into the side of a mountain traveling at 161 knots (185 mph).
Zobayan was a certified flight instructor with 8,000 hours of time in the air.
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