Kobe Bryant’s Helicopter Did Not Suffer Engine Failure, NTSB Report Says

The NBA star and his daughter were among those killed in the Jan. 26 crash

Kobe Bryant and daughter Gianna
Getty

The helicopter carrying Kobe Bryant, his daughter, and seven others did not suffer from engine failure at the time of the fatal crash, according to a preliminary report released Friday by the National Transportation Safety Board.

A full report with a conclusion on the cause of the Jan. 26 crash is still months away.

The NTSB report says the helicopter was destroyed by “impact forces and fire.” Of the engines at the time of the crash, the report states, “Examination of the main and tail rotor assemblies found damage consistent with powered rotation at the time of impact … Viewable sections of the engines showed no evidence of an uncontained or catastrophic internal failure.”

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