As time passes, more and more information about the helicopter crash that killed Kobe Bryant, his daughter, and seven others comes to light. Now, according to a new report from the New York Times, it appears that the basketball legend’s personal helicopter was given special approval to fly in foggy weather, which typically grounds even L.A.P.D. helicopters.
According to various sources, visibility that morning was less than two and a half miles in the thick fog. Explains Forbes, “The approval allowed the pilot to fly by what are known as ‘instrument rules,’ in which the pilot relies on referencing instruments in the flight deck to steer the aircraft, while navigation is accomplished by referring to electronic signals; it can also refer to the kind of flight plan an aircraft is flying.”
It is likely that the decision to grant special approval to the aircraft will become the center of the investigation surrounding the crash, which both the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board have begun. 
All of the passengers of the fatal crash have since been identified: Along with Bryant, the eight other victims are his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, pilot Ara Zobayan, Orange Coast College baseball coach John Altobelli, his wife Keri Altobelli, and their daughter Alyssa Altobelli, as well as Sarah Chester and her daughter, Payton Chester, and basketball coach Christina Mauser.
via Forbes | Photo via Wikimedia Commons
