Tragic loss of Basketball legend Kone Bryant his daughter Gianna leaves the world in shock

Bryant, 41, was traveling with his 13-year-old daughter to his youth basketball academy when they and seven other people perished in the crash on Monday. The helicopter had been given special approval to fly in foggy weather. According to an eyewitness, the fog on the morning of the crash was “as thick as swimming in a pool of milk.” The helicopter was flying from Orange County, Calif., where the Bryant family lives, and crashed in foggy conditions about 30 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles as it was en route to Bryant’s youth basketball academy. The other passengers included the pilot, Ara Zobayan; the college baseball coach John Altobelli and Altobelli’s wife, Keri, and daughter Alyssa; Christina Mauser, a basketball coach; and Sarah and Payton Chester, a mother and daughter who lived in Orange County. Whether the pilot made the right decision — to continue flying on despite low fog in the hillsides of Calabasas, where the aircraft crashed — will likely be at the center of the investigation into the cause of the crash. “A pilot is responsible for determining whether it is safe to fly in current and expected conditions, and a pilot is also responsible for determining flight visibility,” said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss details of the investigation. The whole world woke up to the loss of the great athlete and mourned the tragedy. Three American presidents and athletes, celebrities and fans around the world grieved for Bryant, who became a superstar as basketball grew into an international sensation.