The pilot in the foggy-weather helicopter crash that killed Kobe Bryant was well-acquainted with the skies over Los Angeles and accustomed to flying celebrities.
Customers and colleagues praised his calm and skills. But aviation experts are wondering why he persisted in flying in fog so heavy it grounded police choppers. Some pilots questioned whether the pressure to get a celebrity where he was going clouded his judgment and sent him into a dangerous situation.
Federal authorities are investigating the cause of the crash that killed nine people. The L.A. County medical examiner's office said Tuesday that all of the bodies at the crash site have now been "recovered."
In a press conference late Monday the NTSB said they were at the scene to collect perishable evidence, but not to look for a cause for the accident. Those details are expected to come out in the days and weeks ahead as the investigation continues.
As the Associated Press reported, National Transportation Safety Board investigators have said pilot Ara Zobayan asked for and received permission from air traffic controllers to proceed in the fog. Investigators have yet to establish the cause of the crash and have not faulted his decision to press on or explained why he chose to do so.