UPDATE:
A federal investigator says the pilot of the helicopter that crashed outside Los Angeles, killing Kobe Bryant and eight others, told air traffic controllers in his last message that he was climbing to avoid a cloud layer before the aircraft plunged more than 1,000 feet into a hillside.
The helicopter crashed Sunday morning after requesting special permission to fly through heavy fog. Jennifer Homendy of the National Transportation Safety Board says investigators went to the scene Monday to collect evidence.
She says the wreckage was scattered over a large area.
ORIGINAL STORY:
Investigators are working on a rugged hillside outside Los Angeles where a helicopter carrying Kobe Bryant and eight others crashed in foggy conditions considered dangerous enough that local police agencies grounded their choppers.
About 20 investigators are on the scene in Calabasas were Bryant's helicopter crashed Sunday with an impact that scattered debris over an area the size of a football field and killed everyone aboard.
The accident unleashed an outpouring of grief from admirers around the country who mourned the sudden loss of the all-time basketball great who spent his entire 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers.
The NBA has postponed the Los Angeles Lakers' next game.
The Lakers learned about Bryant's death while they were flying home from an East Coast road trip.
Several players appeared to be visibly affected by the news when they got off the plane.
The Lakers organization hasn't made a public statement about Bryant's death, choosing to mourn in private.
The team made grief counselors available to employees Monday after the death of Bryant, who spent his entire 20-year NBA career with the Lakers.
Bryant leaves a deep legacy after just 41 years.
He was a pro basketball star for half his life.
Bryant was an 18-time NBA All-Star who won five championships and became one of the greatest basketball players of his generation during 20 years with the Los Angeles Lakers.
He retired in 2016 as the third greatest scorer in history.
Off the court, he was an Oscar-winning producer, a media executive, a supporter of women's sports and a mentor to dozens of young athletes.
(Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
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