The man said he thought to himself "this is awfully low" considering the hilly terrain. Shortly after, he heard the impact. "However the impact happened, it ended very, very quickly."

According to the Associated Press, investigators suspect that the chopper that was carrying Bryant and eight others likely crashed because of unfavorable weather conditions, including a thick fog that required Bryant to obtain special permission to fly. At the time of the crash, conditions were so poor that the LAPD and county sheriff’s office had grounded its helicopters.

The notion that Bryant’s Sikorsky S-76 just happened to experience twin engine failure just doesn’t seem plausible, according to aviation experts quoted by the AP.

Sadly, Dr Jonathan Lucas, LA County medical examiner, said the terrain complicated any rescue efforts and would make it incredibly difficult to recover all of the victims’ remains.

The nine victims in the crash were identified in media reports early Monday. They included a basketball coach known as the 'Mother of Defense’. A mother and daughter who were friends with the Bryants through the sports team and a pilot with more than 20 years of experience flying aircraft in the area.