Local Aviation Attorney, Helicopter Pilot Explain What May Have Led To Helicopter Crash That Killed Kobe Bryant, Daughter & 7 Others
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- A key question for federal investigators today is did foggy weather lead to the helicopter crash that killed Philadelphia native Kobe Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others? A local helicopter pilot and aviation attorney shared what may have played a role in the deadly crash.
Ray Oechslin is a former helicopter pilot with the Philadelphia Police Department and a current Chopper 3 pilot. He says flying in fog can be disorienting.
"The only way I can say is if you put a pillowcase over your head, spin yourself around in your room a few times and walk through your door. I guarantee you'll walk into your bed or wall or something," he said.
Another piece of evidence investigators will look at is radar data that shows a rapid descent of the chopper before crashing at roughly 4,000 feet per minute, or 45 miles per hour.
John Gagliano is a former Navy pilot and an aviation attorney based in Philadelphia.
"It's not quite a freefall. But it's an unusual rate of descent," he said.
What we do know is conditions were so foggy and considered so dangerous the Los Angeles Police Department grounded its own choppers on Sunday morning.
Now federal authorities have begun their work to figure out what led up to that tragic crash.
On Monday, investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board sifted through the debris left from Bryant's charred helicopter.
"It's a logistical nightmare in a sense because the crash site itself is not easily accessible," Los Angeles County Sheriff's Office Alex Villanueva said.
The chopper was a Sikorsky S-76B.
CBS News has learned the pilot had asked and was granted special permission to fly because of the low visibility.
Flight track records show the chopper was circling for several minutes over the Glendale area. Dispatch audio captured the moments before the crash.
"...you're still too low for flight following at this time...," flight dispatch said.
Officials say a fire after the deadly crash may have burned some evidence.