[2] On Sunday, January 26, 2020, at approximately 9:06 a.m. PST (17:06 UTC),[3] eight passengers and one pilot departed from John Wayne Airport (SNA) in Orange County, California, in a 1991 Sikorsky S-76B helicopter, registration N72EX.

[17][16] Even if the company's operating certificate and its own internal policies had allowed for flying under IFR, that option could still have led to lengthy delays and detours (thereby using up any anticipated time savings) because of severe congestion in Los Angeles controlled airspace.

[15][3] On most of its previous flights to Camarillo, the helicopter had turned west at Downtown Los Angeles and flown over the Santa Monica Mountains until it picked up the Ventura Freeway (US 101).

[19] Zobayan then confirmed he was still in VFR flight conditions at 1,500 feet (460 m) and acknowledged the handoff to Southern California air traffic control (SCT).

6, 8 The helicopter crashed and caught fire in Calabasas, California, near the intersection of Las Virgenes Road and Willow Glen Street, as reported by a 9-1-1 emergency call at 9:47 a.m. (17:47 UTC).

[30] The hillside is public land managed by both the water district and another government agency known as the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority[31] and forms part of a small valley that also happens to be the upper end of Malibu Canyon.

[41][42] TMZ was later criticized by local law enforcement for reporting the story before the coroner's office had the opportunity to confirm the identities of the helicopter's occupants and inform their families.

[43] Los Angeles County fire chief Daryl Osby confirmed the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) were on the scene investigating.

[47] The FAA imposed a five-mile (8 km) no-fly zone around the crash site up to an altitude of 5,000 feet (1,500 m) at the request of Bryant's wife, Vanessa, in order to protect the victims' privacy.

[52] It was reported the following day that the pilot was told that he was at a "too low level for flight following", which he had apparently requested, by air traffic controllers moments before the helicopter crashed into the hillside.

[61] Bryant amended her suit in September, naming OC Helicopters as an additional defendant, alleging the owner had checked and monitored weather conditions during the fatal flight.

[65] Island Express filed a cross-complaint lawsuit against two SCT air traffic controllers working for the FAA in August 2020, stating their "series of erroneous acts and/or omissions" caused the crash.

[68][69] California passed AB2655 in September 2020, which states first responders who take unauthorized photographs of victim(s) of a crime or accident outside their job duties can be cited with a misdemeanor offense, punishable by a fine of up to US$1,000 per instance.

[74][75] United States District Court Judge John F. Walter ruled the names of the deputies suspended for misconduct could be released to the public in March 2021.

[81] However, the secure perimeter remained in place around the crash site,[31] pending removal of hazardous materials (especially jet fuel and hydraulic fluids) by a private hazmat cleanup crew under the supervision of the California Department of Toxic Substances Control.

[83] The report indicated that "viewable sections of the engines showed no evidence of an uncontained or catastrophic internal failure"[32] and that damage to the blades was "consistent with powered rotation at the time of impact.

[85][86] The Board concluded that Zobayan had flown into thick clouds, contrary to VFR requirements; the resulting spatial disorientation and loss of control led to the crash.

[67][86][87] Cited likely contributing causes were self-induced pressure by the pilot to complete the flight and the inadequate oversight of Island Express over its safety management process.

[91] A week after Bryant's death, Staples Center staff began to clean up the makeshift memorial outside the arena, but promised to catalog, pack, and ship all nonperishable items to his family.

[97] On February 7, Bryant and his daughter were buried in a private funeral in Pacific View Memorial Park in the Corona del Mar neighborhood of Newport Beach.

[98] Two days later, Bryant was also featured, alongside other recently deceased figures from the film industry, in the In Memoriam montage at the 92nd Academy Awards on February 9.

[100] On February 10, a memorial service was held inside Angel Stadium in Anaheim, California, honoring John Altobelli, his wife Keri and daughter Alyssa.

[102] On January 26, 2022, on the second anniversary of the death of Bryant and his daughter, sculptor Dan Medina revealed a 150-pound (68 kg) bronze statue of the two at the crash site in Calabasas, where it was displayed for one day.

He was generous with the wisdom he acquired and saw it as his mission to share it with future generations of players, taking special delight in passing down his love of the game to Gianna.

[105][106]Gregg Downer, Bryant's high school basketball coach, was "completely shocked and devastated" by the news and was initially too distraught to speak to the media.

"[108] Shaquille O'Neal, Bryant's Lakers teammate from 1996 to 2004 and with whom he shared a friendship and later a heavily publicized feud, said that he was "sick" and "had no words to express the pain.

[123] In addition to the Hall of Fame turning the thousands of lights of the large sphere of the shrine itself purple and gold numerous other office buildings in downtown Springfield did as well.

[135] Many ATP Tour tennis players paid tribute to Bryant during the 2020 Australian Open, including Novak Djokovic, who noted: "He was one of the greatest athletes of all time – he inspired myself and many other people around the world.

"[136][137] AC Milan, Bryant's favorite soccer team growing up in Italy, wore black armbands in memory of him in their Coppa Italia match against Torino on January 28, 2020.

[143] Tiger Woods was informed of the tragedy by his caddie Joe LaCava after finishing his final hole at the Farmers Insurance Open, and stated in the post-round interview that Bryant "brought it each and every night on both ends of the floor.