2020 Calabasas Helicopter Crash: Remembering Kobe Bryant and the Lives Lost

The early days of 2020 were filled with optimism. But the new decade soon turned sour when on the afternoon of January 26, the news of a helicopter crash reported the sudden and untimely death of Lakers legend Kobe Bryant. As reports came in, it became clear there were more victims, and an outpouring of grief began to flood social media. 

This memorial honors the lives of the nine victims of the Calabasas Helicopter Crash, and the impact of this great tragedy.

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The crash

Just after 9:00 am on the morning of January 26, 2020, Kobe Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter and others set off in a private helicopter, heading to a basketball game at Bryant's Mamba Sports Academy set off in a private helicopter. Kobe Bryant was known to rely on helicopter transportation to beat the characteristically heavy traffic that plagues L.A county. 

With him traveled his daughter Gianna Bryant (13), baseball coach John Altobelli (56), Keri Altobelli (46), Alyssa Altobelli (14), Sarah Chester (45), Payton Chester (13), Christina Mauser (38), and pilot Ara Zobayan (50). The children were members of Gianna's basketball team, accompanied by parents. They were headed to a youth basketball tournament at Bryant's Mamba Sports Academy, a 30-minute journey that would have taken approximately two hours by car. 

As the helicopter traveled through foggy conditions, the pilot "told air traffic control he was trying to avoid a cloud layer" and then lost contact. Moments later, the helicopter crashed into a hillside near Calabasas.

There were no survivors. 

The aftermath 

All victims likely died instantaneously in the crash due to the high-impact blunt force trauma. The crash was reported to 911 moments after it occurred. 

First reporting of the incident came from TMZ at 2:24 pm — just hours after the incident. At that point, all family members of the victims had not yet been informed of their deaths. This report was soon confirmed by other news organizations and websites. 

Celebrities, friends and teammates began posting tributes to the late Kobe Bryant and other victims.  

We are devastated and have been forever changed by the sudden loss of Kobe Bryant and his daughter, Gianna. We send our love to Vanessa, the Bryant family, and to the families of the other passengers. Words cannot express what Kobe means to the Los Angeles Lakers, our fans, and our city. More than a basketball player, he was a beloved father, husband, and teammate. Their love and light will remain in our hearts forever.

The Mamba Sports Foundation has set up the MambaOnThree Fund to support the families affected by this tragedy. To help, please visit MambaOnThree.org. For those who are inspired to continue Kobe and Gianna’s legacy in youth sports, please visit MambaSportsFoundation.org.

—Los Angeles Lakers via Instagram

I will continue to diligently pray for your Queens. You are deeply missed beloved Kobe.

—Beyonce, via Instagram 

… Kobe... You have connected so many of us. The Mamba Mentality will last for all of time. I know that will be a source for me every day as it has been for so many days before. Your legacy is with us. It’s our responsibility to pass it down now. I hope I can continue to make you proud, Vino. Champ, MVP, Legend, Hero, Inspiration, Father, Friend. I’m gonna miss you, brother. Mamba forever.

—Justin Timberlake, via Instagram

Among those to issue public statements was Kobe's wife, Gianna's mother, Vanessa Bryant:

My girls and I want to thank the millions of people who’ve shown support and love during this horrific time. Thank you for all the prayers. We definitely need them. We are completely devastated by the sudden loss of my adoring husband, Kobe — the amazing father of our children; and my beautiful, sweet Gianna — a loving, thoughtful, and wonderful daughter, and amazing sister to Natalia, Bianka, and Capri.

We are also devastated for the families who lost their loved ones on Sunday, and we share in their grief intimately.

There aren’t enough words to describe our pain right now. I take comfort in knowing that Kobe and Gigi both knew that they were so deeply loved. We were so incredibly blessed to have them in our lives. I wish they were here with us forever. They were our beautiful blessings taken from us too soon.

I’m not sure what our lives hold beyond today, and it’s impossible to imagine life without them. But we wake up each day, trying to keep pushing because Kobe, and our baby girl, Gigi, are shining on us to light the way. Our love for them is endless — and that’s to say, immeasurable. I just wish I could hug them, kiss them and bless them…

— Vanessa Bryant via Instagram

Remembering the victims

The Calabasas helicopter crash of 2020 is famous because of the death of Kobe Bryant. But the iconic basketball star wasn't the only life lost. It is imperative to remember all the victims of this tragedy.

Kobe Bryant

Kobe Bryant was the most famous person aboard the helicopter, and his life story has largely dominated reporting of the event. He perished along with his 13-year-old Gianna in the crash.

Kobe Bryant is considered one of the greatest basketball players of all time. He played primarily as a shooting guard for the Los Angeles Lakers in his 20-year career. During his time with the Lakers, he helped win five NBA championships. He was an "18-time All-Star, two-time Finals MVP and one-time regular season MVP in 2008 over his 20 seasons with the Lakers."

Off the court Bryant was many things: An intellectual who switched effortlessly between Italian, Spanish and English; a doting father to four daughters, a budding media mogul who won an Oscar, a fervent soccer fan of Barcelona and AC Milan, a champion of women's sports, and an inspiration to younger players for his winning attitude that he labeled "Mamba Mentality."

— Motez Bishara, CNN

Kobe won an Academy Award in 2018 for his animated short film, Dear Basketball. The film was based on "a poem he wrote in 2015 announcing his impending retirement from basketball."

His career was not without its pitfalls. Kobe was arrested for sexually assaulting a 19-year-old hotel employee. Though the matter was settled out of court, Kobe issued a public statement of apology for his actions. 

Kobe was fined $100,000 in 2011 for using a homophobic slur against a referree with whom he disagreed:

...he didn't respond by doubling down; instead, he changed his behavior, worked on educating others and was ultimately part of the league's pro-LGBTQ You Can Play project.

Bryant also became more politically active, including going after President Donald Trump. As his daughters grew older, he became a champion for the WNBA and a coach of his daughter's team (named after himself, of course).

This evolution didn't somehow cancel out the rape allegation, and for all his maturing, Bryant never did do right by his victim. His continued popularity (and his unwillingness to talk about the case) was seen by some as a sign that, even in the era of #MeToo and Times Up, fans will still forgive their favorite athletes if they are scoring baskets for them (and the abuse isn't caught on camera).

— Will Leitch, NBC News

Kobe founded the Mamba Sports Academy, "a multisport training center for young athletes," in 2018. 

The name "Mamba" was a part of Bryant's nickname, "The Black Mamba," which he gave to himself. The Sports Academy sent out a release [following the crash] saying the name change was a mutual decision between it and Bryant's estate.

— Marc J. Spears, ESPN 

At the time of his death, Kobe Bryant was remembered for his contributions to the community, and his leadership on and off the court. His death left wife Vanessa, and three daughters, Natalia, Bianka, Capri to mourn. 

Gianna Bryant

Gianna 'Gigi' Bryant was just 13 years old at the time of her death. Kobe's second daughter followed in her father's steps as a rising star in youth basketball, with many people anticipating a pro career in her future. 

Gianna attended middle school at Harbor Day School in Newport Beach, California, and played basketball in her father's Mamba Sports Academy. Despite her dad's legendary status in Los Angeles basketball, Kobe defended her dream of attending UConn over UCLA.

"This kid, man," [Kobe] said. "The best thing that happens is when we go out and fans come up to me, and she'll be standing next to me and they'll be like: 'You’ve got to have a boy. You and [wife Vanessa] have got to have a boy, someone to carry on the tradition, the legacy.' And she's like, 'Oh, I got this.'"

— Kobe Bryant, Jimmy Kimmel

Kobe frequently referred to Gigi as 'the female version' of him, viewing her as the heir to his legacy on the court. The UConn Huskies paid tribute to the up-and-coming basketball star, dedicating a #2 jersey to Gianna. 

Gianna is mourned by her mother Vanessa, sisters Natalia, Bianka, Capri, and all friends and family who knew her. The tragedy of this young person's death is amplified by the lost potential of Gianna Bryant's immense talent in the sport of basketball.

John Altobelli 

John met Kobe through their daughters' mutual love of basketball and the Mamba Sports Academy. They frequently traveled together to games and practices. 

Altobelli lived vicariously through Alyssa the same as Bryant did Gianna. The fathers were quite the pair -- Altobelli the legendary junior college coach with nearly 700 career wins and three state championships, Bryant the legendary NBA star who saw in Altobelli what he saw in himself: drive and fire and desire. They were winners. So were their girls.

— Jeff Passan, ESPN

John Altobelli was an American baseball coach. Earlier in his career, Altobelli played college ball with Golden West College and the Houston Cougars, before playing in the minor leagues with the Miami Marlins. He went on to coach the Orange Coast Pirates as the  "longest-tenured baseball coach in school history" from 1992 to 2019. During his time with the Pirates, he led the team to win four California state junior college titles in 2009, 2014, 2015, and 2019. 

The "Dutiful father, beloved coach, [with] respected mind, [and] rapier wit" died in the Calabasas crash alongside his wife Keri Altobelli and young daughter, Alyssa Altobelli. He was survived by son J.J. Altobelli and daughter Alexis Altobelli.

Keri Altobelli

Keri Altobelli, wife of John and mother of Alyssa, perished with them in the Calabasas crash on January 26. At the family's triple memorial, Keri was described as "strong, direct and bold, but also 'loving and extremely loyal'. 

She was a 'basketball mom' who did everything possible to support her daughter's budding elite basketball career at Mamba:

"As the girls grew up, their personal passions became Keri's passions. Managing the family schedule with baseball commitments for Alto, basketball for Lyssa, tennis and academics for Lexi, supporting J.J. as he pursued a career in baseball like his dad," [Keri's friend] Lever said. "And the demands of Keri's own business left little time of anything else."

— Emily Shapiro, ABC News

Keri lost her life along with her youngest daughter Alyssa and her husband, John, leaving orphaned 16-year-old daughter Alexis.

Alyssa Altobelli

Fourteen-year-old Alyssa Altobelli, like Gianna Bryant, attended the Mamba Sports Academy. As an elite youth athlete, she was known as a "fierce point guard on the basketball court and a loyal friend who was determined to attend the University of Oregon in a few years."

Days after the crash friends, students, and fellow athletes held a candlelight vigil in her honor. There they shared memories of the rising star:

"If she was smiling, other people were always smiling around her...She was respectful. She knew how to handle herself. She knew what to say. She was nice, she was funny."

— KABC-TV

Sarah Chester 

Sarah Chester, mother of Payton Chester, was another victim who died in the Calabasas helicopter crash. She was accompanying her daughter, a member of the Mamba Sports Academy team, to the game along with other victims of the Calabasas crash.

She was remembered as a devoted mother, who served on the  St. Margaret’s Board of Trustees where her daughter attended school. 

Sarah Chester brought Schmidt and the community just as much joy as Payton, [Schmidt, former principal] said. During PTA meetings she made a game out of getting Schmidt to smile during a presentation.

"She was very good at it," he said. "I don't think there was ever a time she couldn't catch my eye and just make me smile."

"Payton was the exact same way," he added.

— Dakin Andone, CNN 

Sarah was survived by her husband of 20 years, Chris Chester, as well as her sons Hayden and Riley. 

"My heart is broken, and the last two weeks have been a level of pain I never thought I could feel. She loved being a mother and raised two young men that are making her prouder every day," Chris stated. "Our years together were cut far too short and I will miss her forever, but the ones that we had were lived 100% full throttle."

— Chris Chester, father of Payton, NBC Los Angeles

Payton Chester 

Payton Chester was remembered as a player who "led her middle school basketball team and dreamed of playing for the WNBA." Sadly, the 13-year-old's life was cut tragically short in the Calabasas helicopter crash.

The eighth-grader was remembered as a bubbly person and talented player on the basketball court. 

"Payton was perfect. She saw the best in each person, and it is impossible to describe the impact of her smile, laugh and compassion on the lives of everyone around her," Chris Chester said. "She loved her Team Mamba girls more than anything in the world and considered them her second family…"

— Chris Chester, father of Payton, NBC Los Angeles 

Payton was survived by her father, Chris Chester, and brothers Hayden and Riley. Like Gianna, Payton's death was all the more tragic because of the lost youth and potential. 

Christina Mauser  

Christina Mauser was an assistant girls basketball coach, who at the time of her death was helping Kobe at the Mamba Sports Academy to "teach the kids defense." She was traveling with Bryant and members of the Mamba team to a tournament when she perished in the Calabasas crash at the age of 38. 

The married mother of three was remembered by her husband Matt Mouser as a person who "loved her job": 

Affectionately called the "Mother of Defense" or "MoD" by her players, Mauser says "she'd come home after coaching and talk about how much she loved the girls."

— Kara Warner, People

Christina's husband and three daughters mourn her death, as well as the many student athletes she inspired through her career. Though her life ended too soon, she is remembered for her impact on girls basketball, and her inspirational leadership on and off the court.  

Ara Zobayan

Ara Zobayan piloted the helicopter that ended the lives of Kobe Bryant, assistant coach Mauser, three rising stars in youth basketball, and the parents that travelled with them. 

The 50-year-old pilot was described to CNN as "affable and exacting." A commercial pilot of over 10 years, Ara regularly flew celebrities in his work as a private helicopter operator.  

An autopsy of Ara Zobayan found he was not under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time of the crash. A report released by the National Transportation Safety Board  on June 17, 2020, did not come to any definite conclusions about the cause of the crash. However, it stated that the pilot may have become disoriented by the foggy weather conditions:

Ara Zobayan radioed to air traffic controllers that he was climbing to 1,220 metres to get above clouds on Jan. 26 when, in fact, the helicopter was plunging toward a hillside where it crashed northwest of Los Angeles.

— Brian Melley,  The Associated Press

Ara took much of the blame for the crash. Vanessa Bryant sued the helicopter owner following her husband and daughter's deaths, saying the company was negligent in allowing the flight considering the weather conditions. Ara Zobayan's family has defended the reputation of the pilot who also lost his life, blaming the passenger victims for continuing with the flight despite weather conditions.

He was remembered by colleagues as being a safety-conscious professional, and by family as a man who loved his family more than anything. His death left "behind a girlfriend of 11 years and her two children who he treated like his own."

Lasting impact 

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  Media reporting of high-profile deaths

  
  

The first report of Kobe Bryant's death came from TMZ less than two hours after the crash. Though all news organizations hope to break important news first, ethical reporting standards often involve independently verifying scoops, and leaving enough time for family notification in the event of death. However, TMZ did not wait before breaking the news of Kobe Bryant and others aboard the helicopter. 

Several families deduced their loved ones' deaths from the reports, with no true confirmation of the deaths for hours. The painful experience of traumatic, sudden death was intensified by the insensitive timing. 

Police rebuked the tabloid for breaching etiquette in their reporting of the story. 

Alex Villanueva, the Los Angeles County sheriff, said at a news conference...that the authorities had not contacted Mr. Bryant's family before TMZ published its report.

"It would be extremely disrespectful to understand your loved one has perished and to learn about it from TMZ," Mr. Villanueva said. "That is just wholly inappropriate."

— Marc Tracy, The New York Times

The incident served as both reminder and warning to celebrity news outlets of the consequences of hasty reporting.  

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  Basketball 

  
  

The lasting impact of the early and tragic loss of Kobe Bryant cannot be known. In the two years prior to his death, Kobe had founded the Mamba Sports Academy (renamed Sports Academy after his death), won an Academy Award for a short film about basketball, and worked to build equity for women in basketball. 

To say his death was not a blow to the world of sports and basketball would be an understatement. As a sports advocate and philanthropist, his work is over. However, Kobe's legacy in basketball will live forever in the hearts and minds of fans and loved ones. 

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  Youth athletes

  
  

Onboard the aircraft that crashed in the Calabasas hillside were three up and coming elite youth athletes: Gianna Bryant, Alyssa Altobelli, and Payton Chester. The three girls represented a new generation of female athletes. With Kobe's contributions to developing and elevating the WNBA, the future of young female athletes was brighter. 

It's very likely some or all the young athletes killed in the Calabasas crash would have gone on to professional basketball careers. Their absence from the sport is a terrible lasting impact of the incident. 

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  Ongoing investigation 

  
  

In February of 2020, the NTSB released over 1,700 pages of information gathered about the Calabasas crash. The initial report suggested the pilot may have become disoriented in the fog. After telling air traffic control he would begin ascending to clear the fog, pilot Ara Zobayan began to descend, ultimately leading to the crash. The pilot was not under the influence of drugs or alcohol, and no engine troubles led to the crash. 

However, the report offered no final conclusions. The final investigatory report is not expected to be released until 12 to 18 months after the incident. Those interested should keep an eye out for the final report in the coming months.  

Thoughts and Condolences

Calabasas crash victims remembered 

The tragic and sudden death of Kobe Bryant in the Calabasas helicopter crash of 2020 made headlines, inspired celebrity condolences, and changed the game of basketball forever. However, eight other people lost their lives in this tragic accident, and all individuals involved deserve respectful memorialization and remembrance. In honor of the anniversary of their deaths, we honor all who met their finale fate aboard the helicopter that crashed in the Calabasas hillside.