Kobe Bryant crash: Nest video captures audio of helicopter's final moments

Tuesday, January 28, 2020
CALABASAS, Calif. (KABC) -- A previous version of this report included audio of the helicopter crashing but has since been removed.

The sounds of the low-flying helicopter and subsequent crash that killed Kobe Bryant and eight others was captured on a Google Nest camera, recorded by a woman who lives near the crash site.
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Ronna Leavitt said the surveillance video from her front door captured the audio of the helicopter in its final moments.
She said the helicopter flew above her housing complex and made a U-turn before crashing into the mountainside.

A timestamp of 9:45 a.m. can be seen on the video as it transmits the sound of the impact followed by deafening silence.

MORE: Full flight path simulation from the helicopter crash
Flight path simulation from Kobe Bryant's Sikorsky S-76B helicopter

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Leavitt said she spoke to investigators and provided the video to them.

A witness said she also heard the crash Sunday morning.



"We heard a sputter coming through and then a boom," Elisa Bomer said.

Nine people were killed when the Sikorsky S-76 crashed into a hill in Calabasas. Federal investigators are looking into the cause of the crash and say they may not have an answer for more than a year.
Investigators have removed the key pieces of wreckage, all nine bodies, and evidence such as an iPad, cellphone and documentation from the debris field.
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Officials have determined that the helicopter crashed just 20 to 30 feet from the top of the hill at a spot area located 1,085 feet above sea level. The area was a canyon with multiple hills of different elevations surrounding it.

The NTSB confirmed that weather is one of several factors that investigators are examining. They are asking the public to send in any pictures they may have taken in the area of the crash that morning.

Weather pictures can be emailed to: witness@ntsb.gov.

An earlier version of this story identified the video as coming from a Ring camera. It has been updated to reflect the camera was a Google Nest.
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