Althouse: Kobe Bryant has died.

January 26, 2020

Kobe Bryant has died.

124 comments:

mockturtle said...: I don't want to sound disrespectful about this obvious tragedy but you'd think he was a head of state the way the media are carrying on.; 1/26/20, 4:48 PM
Yancey Ward said...: Shock? Not really- famous people die young all the time, same as non-famous people.

He was a great player- very much in the same way Michael Jordan was.; 1/26/20, 4:49 PM
Inga said...: My heart goes out to his wife, children and parents. Life is capricious. If we humans had our own fragility in front of our minds, we’d curl up in bed and never leave. I belong to a couple of grief support groups and the many stories of loss of young otherwise healthy people is almost overwhelming. Life can’t be lived without brushing up against one’s mortality.; 1/26/20, 4:54 PM
Yancey Ward said...: How many helicopter crashes are there every year- about 1 for every 500 helicopters.; 1/26/20, 4:54 PM
mockturtle said...: His 13-year-old daughter was among the dead as well as the other passengers.; 1/26/20, 4:56 PM
Shouting Thomas said...: When something doesn’t really concern you and you have nothing of any relevance or importance to say, the best thing to say is nothing.

This is something of a lost art in the age of the internet.; 1/26/20, 4:56 PM
JackWayne said...: In the beginning it was 5 dead. Now it’s up to 9. So far only Kobe and his daughter have been named.; 1/26/20, 4:57 PM
Yancey Ward said...: Mock,

Call me crusty, but a head of state dying would move me even less- they are almost always a dime a dozen, and always replaced.; 1/26/20, 4:57 PM
whitney said...: It's sad. But now I'm just pondering the mystery of why shouting Thomas left a comment about something that does not affect him complaining about people leaving comments about things that don't affect them. Unfathomable; 1/26/20, 5:00 PM
JackWayne said...: I always wonder at the choice of posts. Kobe is pretty much meaningless to me. A liar like Tim Kaine saying the Obama called Trump a fascist is very much more interesting. Is Tim prepositioning himself for some reason? Is the trial going to expose some stuff he wants to distance himself from? Does Clinton need to be seen as naming Trump as a fascist to enhance her chances of winning the nomination? Who knows why he did it but I believe he’s lying for some reason.; 1/26/20, 5:05 PM
gilbar said...: Yancey Ward said...
How many helicopter crashes are there every year- about 1 for every 500 helicopters

back in the '80's, i was friends with my vietnam vet neighbor. He hated planes, and hated flying. Me, being an airhead; couldn't understand HOW someone could hate flying. Then, he mentioned that he while he Would fly in Jets, he would NEVER, EVER, EVER fly in a helicopter.
At this point, i was confused; this macho man was a scared little cry baby about helicopters? and he served in the Marines in 1970 in vietnam?

I asked him: "didn't you fly in helicopters in veitnam?
and He said; "YES, and THREE of them crash landed"
{apparently including one Chinook that lost an engine}

I decided, that If He didn't want to fly in choppers anymore; that was His Business; 1/26/20, 5:16 PM
tcrosse said...: Memento mori, paisan. Once again it has been accomplished.; 1/26/20, 5:17 PM
Sebastian said...: Glad I saw him play many times. Embodied commitment.

He overcame his own #MeToo episode and regained some dignity.

Of course, there's gonna be media overkill, but it will hit people: he had it all, then returned to dust. Memento Mori.; 1/26/20, 5:20 PM
Leland said...: I'm just wondering how many times Kobe and Climate Change will be mentioned in tonight's Grammys? However, I'm not curious enough to watch. I do like that Kobe was living his life his way. I feel sorry for his wife, who lost a husband and a daughter.; 1/26/20, 5:22 PM
Tim Wright said...: Major accomplished sports ball guy. Raped a white girl and walked. Not everybody gets to do that. Hats off! Sarcasm on.; 1/26/20, 5:23 PM
Ingachuck'stoothlessARM said...: Some may come and some may go
We shall surely pass
When the One that left us here
Returns for us at last
We are but a moment's sunlight
Fading in the grass --Youngbloods

“Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.” --James 4:14; 1/26/20, 5:28 PM
bbkingfish said...: "Raped a white girl and walked. Not everybody gets to do that."

White guys do it, all the time.; 1/26/20, 5:30 PM
Spiros said...: I think a lot of rape victims are going to come forward in the coming weeks. Of course, fraudulent rape charges against Black men was a major artifice of Jim Crow. See, e.g., To Kill a Mockingbird. Indeed, the "racist myth of the Black rapist" was a big part of the PR campaign that Nike and Kobe's people put forward to rehabilitate his image. So we'll need a couple dozen rape victims before it's okay for liberals to condemn this man...; 1/26/20, 5:32 PM
TheDopeFromHope said...: This was Kobe's best moment, when he stuck it up Chris Collinsworth's rear end at the 2008 Olympics:

Collinsworth: Where does the patriotism come from inside of you? Historically, what is it?

Kobe: Well, you know it’s just our country, it’s… we believe is the greatest country in the world. It has given us so many great opportunities, and it’s just a sense of pride that you have; that you say ‘You know what? Our country is the best!’

Collinsworth: Is that a ‘cool’ thing to say, in this day and age? That you love your country, and that you’re fighting for the red, white and blue? It seems sort of like a day gone by.

Kobe: No, it’s a cool thing for me to say. I feel great about it, and I’m not ashamed to say it. I mean, this is a tremendous honor.; 1/26/20, 5:35 PM
Guildofcannonballs said...: https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2020/01/msnbc-anchor-says-nggers-instead-of-lakers-while-reporting-kobe-bryants-death-video/; 1/26/20, 5:39 PM
rhhardin said...: I hate sports and have heard the name, but there's an interesting aviation angle to it. You can't beat aviation stories.; 1/26/20, 5:41 PM
exiledonmainstreet, green-eyed devil said...: bbkingfish said...

Liar.; 1/26/20, 5:43 PM
Narr said...: If I was feeling snarky I'd say, thanks Prof, news I never would have got elsewhere! Then I saw the isolated tag for him and thought that maybe KB was a thing here already-- I only started regular reading here about April last year. The BBC just did a half hour . . .

Anyway, helicopters. Took a short ride once (airshow, son and friend) and it was fascinating but I just don't like being in the air in a machine that much. Always glad to get down.

Several of the VN vets I know served in helos (big surprise) and they have shared some insights-- like the door gunner friend who didn't use the safety D-ring to keep from falling out because he'd seen too many guys trapped inside crashes by them; the other who shot untold amounts of ammo into nothing because rounds expended could be converted by Pentagon juju into dead enemies, and who estimates that reported chopper losses are about 1/3 of the reality.

Narr
I wasn't there, but I do listen, and read; 1/26/20, 5:44 PM
sinz52 said...: JackWayne said: "I always wonder at the choice of posts. Kobe is pretty much meaningless to me. A liar like Tim Kaine saying the Obama called Trump a fascist is very much more interesting."

I don't think so.

We have beaten politics to death around here, with folks like you never missing an opportunity to stick it to politicians you dislike, even when we're trying to discuss something else.

What I really dislike is threadjackers.; 1/26/20, 5:44 PM
rhhardin said...: Though helicopters are not so surprising when they come down. You don't get to practice to completion the most important emergency procedure, autorotation to a landing. In airplanes you can practice dead stick landings every landing, if you want. I always did. Cut power once and glide the rest of the way. Learn to work height and distance without power.; 1/26/20, 5:45 PM
Inga said...: Poor woman, she’s not going to be able to convince people who are looking for a gotcha.

Alison Morris
✔
@AlisonMorrisNOW
Earlier today, while reporting on the tragic news of Kobe Bryant’s passing, I unfortunately stuttered on air, combining the names of the Knicks and the Lakers to say “Nakers.” Please know I did not & would NEVER use a racist term. I apologize for the confusion this caused.

19K
4:10 PM - Jan 26, 2020; 1/26/20, 5:45 PM
Freeman Hunt said...: What a shock. Awful about his daughter. Going down in a crash would be terrible, but it would be exponentially more terrible to go down in a crash with your kid.; 1/26/20, 5:46 PM
Michael K said...: I do think helicopters are a lot more dangerous. I used to fly from Ohare to Meigs Field in Chicago when I would go home for a visit.

About a month after a visit the helo I took crashed with a dozen passengers killed. My last helo ride.; 1/26/20, 5:48 PM
exiledonmainstreet, green-eyed devil said...: Inga said...
Poor woman, she’s not going to be able to convince people who are looking for a gotcha."

If it happened on Fox, you'd be calling for her head and you damn well know it.; 1/26/20, 5:50 PM
rhhardin said...: Sports World Shock is a clue what narrative you're supposed to join. Birth of a series until people get tired of it and move on to something else.; 1/26/20, 5:54 PM
Francisco D said...: Inga said... Poor woman, she’s not going to be able to convince people who are looking for a gotcha."

Exiled said: If it happened on Fox, you'd be calling for her head and you damn well know it.

Question: Are there any other words that begin with "N" that she may have been trying to say?

Can you imagine if Trump had said that? Impeachment would be to good for him.; 1/26/20, 5:55 PM
Temujin said...: This is sad. For those who appreciate people working and working hard to become among the best at what they do, or among the best to ever do it, this is a sad day. He was just starting the best part of his life. And his daughter had her entire life in front of her, as did the others.

Yes- people die all day, every day. Not everyone will be remembered for what they did in their lives. Aside from family and friends, no one on this page will be held in this regard. It doesn't make you worthless. It makes a point on how hard it is to be among the greatest ever at what you do. It's worth appreciating.; 1/26/20, 5:55 PM
rhhardin said...: It's a battle with coronavirus. Impeachment seems to be gone for the moment.; 1/26/20, 5:55 PM
tcrosse said...: Thousands of fixed-wing aircraft fly in and out of Las Vegas each year without incident, but it's the helicopter tours of the Grand Canyon that rack up the casualties.; 1/26/20, 5:56 PM
Psota said...: Helicopters suck... Mean people suck too.

Kobe was one of the greats. He had moves that you really couldn't express with statistics. He just looked great moving up and down the court.

he didn't "rape" anybody. He knew that girl biblically... "He took her any he laid with her", as they say in the Old Testament.; 1/26/20, 5:56 PM
Rory said...: RIP. The son of "Jelly Bean Joe" Bryant, a forward who was a member of the 76ers "Bomb Squad" of the mid-70s. Joe survives his son; 1/26/20, 5:57 PM
rhhardin said...: The last actual shock that I felt in the news was the house going for impeachment. That feeling doesn't come too often. Maybe Gore contesting the Florida election before that.

Selling out the country, in other words.; 1/26/20, 5:57 PM
Kevin said...: Each man's death diminishes me,

For I am involved in mankind.

Therefore, send not to know

For whom the bell tolls,

It tolls for thee.; 1/26/20, 6:01 PM
rehajm said...: Tragic for his friends and family. Prayers for the families if all the victims...; 1/26/20, 6:03 PM
Inga said...: “RIP. The son of "Jelly Bean Joe" Bryant, a forward who was a member of the 76ers "Bomb Squad" of the mid-70s. Joe survives his son.”

And that in itself is an injury to the psyche. Losing a child.; 1/26/20, 6:05 PM
exiledonmainstreet, green-eyed devil said...: Freeman Hunt said...
Going down in a crash would be terrible, but it would be exponentially more terrible to go down in a crash with your kid.

1/26/20, 5:46 PM

Yes. What a horrifying end for him.

I am not a big NBA fan, but RIP.; 1/26/20, 6:05 PM
Fernandinande said...: Probably a vortex ring state that lead to a loss of rotor effectiveness causing dynamic rollover because ineffective pre-flight checklist.; 1/26/20, 6:06 PM
Jimmy said...: I haven't followed basketball since Magic, Dr. J, Larry Bird, M. Jordan. If Kobe was at that level of play, I can understand all the hype. Don't know or care about the accusations etc. God will sort it out.; 1/26/20, 6:10 PM
stevew said...: Tragic for him, his family, and his friends. Yet, this sort of thing happens every day to thousands of non-famous people. I didn't know him and so am not 'shocked' or 'devastated'. Mrs. stevew and I were watching a news report and they showed a woman who had come out to the scene of the crash, she was sitting and sobbing, reportedly uncontrollably. I wondered, out loud, did she know him, were they friends? Nothing would justify that sort of public display otherwise.

Recall the coverage and outpouring of emotion when Diana died, tragically. Similar reaction to my eyes. Am I the asshole if I admit I am not similarly moved?; 1/26/20, 6:14 PM
William said...: Count no man lucky until you know his death. His life seems to have been inordinately blessed, but he didn't get that much of it. His daughter got even less. Malign happenstance. I don't know if there's any great moral lesson to be derived from his death. The evils of helicopters?....Some events are awful and that's the lesson: awful events are random.; 1/26/20, 6:16 PM
Tim Wright said...: My comment was very mean.

No apologies. It was intended to be so.

You can be forgiven for having feet of clay, for not being perfect. For some other things, no, and sports celebrity doesn’t get you a pass.; 1/26/20, 6:18 PM
Spiros said...: The phrase "God will sort them out" is derived from the Latin phrase: "Caedite eos. Novit enim Dominus qui sunt eius." This famous quote was allegedly spoken by Arnaud Amalric prior to a massacre at Béziers. A direct translation is "Kill them. For the Lord knows those that are His own" or, maybe, "Kill them all; let God sort them out."

So the "God will sort them out" people forget about the first part of the phrase. I always thought it was odd how something encouraging tremendous violence (in the context of a crusade) gave rise to something so passive...; 1/26/20, 6:19 PM
readering said...: I cemented my own team loyalties before moving to LA, but hard to overstate his significance in a town where pro football support atrophied and the Lakers have racked up so many championships. And the entertainment capital of the world.

He skipped college ball and spent his entire, long career with one team in one town (2 if count Inglewood). A magnetic personality with a staight-from-casting family. Some deaths represent the beauty and fragility of life for the rest of us.; 1/26/20, 6:22 PM
Rosalyn C. said...: I was just reading an article this morning on USA Today called, "Life after basketball: Kobe Bryant's transition to Oscar, Emmy winner and AAU coach," all about Kobe's newest ventures in publishing and how he was making a great transition to a new career. Full of hope and promise. I was stunned to then see a story a half hour later about his death.; 1/26/20, 6:27 PM
rhhardin said...: My favorite NYT death news report by Jane Gross
https://www.nytimes.com/1997/09/13/nyregion/diana-s-death-resonates-with-women-in-therapy.html

I don't think it's the same here, but just the usual clickbait. Some soap opera appeal for the women, sports for the guys who like sports anyway.

Guys were baffled by Diana's death.; 1/26/20, 6:29 PM
Big Mike said...: A liar like Tim Kaine saying the Obama called Trump a fascist is very much more interesting. Is Tim prepositioning himself for some reason? Is the trial going to expose some stuff he wants to distance himself from? Does Clinton need to be seen as naming Trump as a fascist to enhance her chances of winning the nomination? Who knows why he did it but I believe he’s lying for some reason.

@JackWayne, as a Virginian I can assure you that if Tim Kaine is lying it's because today ends in the letter 'y'; 1/26/20, 6:30 PM
readering said...: I've been transported in helicopters a few times (including for Trump's first casino--three of his casino executives died in a crash 4 years later). But cars are no picture of safety. Bryant live in south OC and commuted to LA.; 1/26/20, 6:35 PM
Curious George said...: From reports the helicopter had issues and finally crashed. Better to go like Stevie Ray Vaughn, slam into a hillside in the fog and not suffer all the terror and fear, especially with your daughter aboard.

I flew in a military helicopter at Quantico when I was young. Hated it. Never again.; 1/26/20, 6:36 PM
Lurker21 said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 1/26/20, 6:41 PM
Lurker21 said...: JackWayne said:

Is Tim prepositioning himself for some reason?

Tim Kaine is more likely to be arrested for propositioning himself.

He's not smart enough to preposition himself, and not smart enough to get anything by doing it, and everybody knows he's not smart enough, so they aren't going to give him anything.

I'm not surprised or shocked at the things politicians say when they they think it's not going to be reported. By now it's safe to assume that they hate a lot of people in the other party (and many in their own, too). They live high-pressure lives and are apt to vent however they can.

Do they mean what they say? That's a question we could ask about internet commenters. In both cases the answer is "sometimes."

Not a sports fan, but dying at 44 (or at 13) is terrible.; 1/26/20, 6:44 PM
Iman said...: Update (7:32 PM): “Orange Coast College baseball coach John Altobelli, his daughter Alyssa Altobelli and wife Keri Altobelli were on the helicopter with Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna when it crashed in Calabasas, California, a relative tells CNN.”; 1/26/20, 6:48 PM
rhhardin said...: It's Buddy Holly all over again.; 1/26/20, 6:50 PM
Freeman Hunt said...: "The last actual shock that I felt in the news was the house going for impeachment. "

Did you really feel shock? Politicians selling out the country seems like a dog bites man story.; 1/26/20, 6:51 PM
rhhardin said...: The local classical radio station announced a piece by "the late Johann Sebastian Bach." Musicians are dying like flies.; 1/26/20, 6:51 PM
rcocean said...: What a tragedy for his family and families of the other 8 people! Kobe seemed like a great guy and his death, and especially his young daughters death, is a really sad. But this doesn't cut too deep for me, because Kobe came along when I was too old to really care about sports stars.; 1/26/20, 6:52 PM
rhhardin said...: That's a structural shock. You can't do that. The system won't work any longer.; 1/26/20, 6:52 PM
Bay Area Guy said...: 41 years old, Hall of Fame Career, lovely family, few hundred million in the bank.

Life is fragile. RIP, Kobe.; 1/26/20, 6:53 PM
rhhardin said...: It's time for Anthony Jeselnik Thoughts and Prayers
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdWOptGFfjE; 1/26/20, 6:54 PM
Inga said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 1/26/20, 6:56 PM
rcocean said...: I always felt more comfortable in small planes. Helicopters can't glide. Plus, i remember as a kid in the 70s and early 80s constantly hearing of Military Helicopter crashing. The must have gotten better over the years.; 1/26/20, 6:57 PM
Inga said...: “...coach John Altobelli, his daughter Alyssa Altobelli and wife Keri Altobelli were on the helicopter...”

So much tragedy. The surviving families of Bryant and Altobellis and their precious children who were lost are undoubtedly in a profound state of shock right now. It’s when the reality hits is when it gets even harder. So very sad.; 1/26/20, 6:58 PM
Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves said...: MSNBC’s Sunday anchor Alison Morris made easily the worst reporting gaffe in 2020.

While interviewing sports journalists about the tragic and untimely death of Kobe Bryant, Morris somehow mixed up the “Los Angeles Lakers” with what sounded to viewers like the “Los Angeles N*ggers.”

It’s almost too hard to believe, but it happened.

High quality talent at the DNC networks.; 1/26/20, 7:02 PM
rhhardin said...: Helicopters can't glide.

Actually they can. The problem is that you can't practice the landing part.

The rotor is a wing moving through the air, and so long as it's aimed slightly down, the descent keeps its speed up and everything's fine. The trouble is that you have to brake the descent by aiming it up, and that stops the rotor, so the ground had better be right there when you do it. That's the part you can't practice. The first time is for real.; 1/26/20, 7:03 PM
rcocean said...: No man is an island,
Entire of itself.
Each is a piece of the continent,
A part of the main.
If a clod be washed away by the sea,
Europe is the less.
As well as if a promontory were.
As well as if a manor of thine own
Or of thine friend's were.
Each man's death diminishes me,
For I am involved in mankind.
Therefore, send not to know
For whom the bell tolls,
It tolls for thee.; 1/26/20, 7:04 PM
Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves said...: Thick fog and mechanical issues. Incredibly sad for all on board.; 1/26/20, 7:05 PM
Iman said...: My two adult sons were pretty good BB players in high school and have been big NBA fans ever since they started playing at the age of six. They’ve followed Bryant’s entire career and they do feel a sense of loss. I guess it’s a feeling of losing a part of one’s past.

For many years now, I’ve told them always take a pass on helicopter and light aircraft flights.; 1/26/20, 7:08 PM
Steven said...: Less than 24 hours after LeBron James passed him on the all-time NBA scorers list, Kobe Bryant was dead.

Perhaps Karl Malone needs to consider a preemptive strike.; 1/26/20, 7:12 PM
traditionalguy said...: Like Princess Di, this celebrity was truest loved for his personality, over and above his accomplishments. That power always surprises us in its overwhelming impact. Kobe was an authentic man of high intelligence and a warrior’s spirit. We have lost a great man.; 1/26/20, 7:15 PM
madAsHell said...: The radio comms, and flight path are already on YouTube. There was no apparent distress call. Traffic control requested their intentions twice, and then they went off the radar.

You can find the link on YouTube for yourself.; 1/26/20, 7:16 PM
Iman said...: I had one experience in a light plane in the early 70s that scared the mud right outta me. Flew with a couple of friends (one friend had recently gotten his license, we were in a rented plane and were 21/22 years old) from SoCal to Lake Tahoe. Back in those days, Tahoe was not nearly as developed. We’d gotten a late start and it was after dark when we were approaching for a landing but we could not see the lights of what passed for an airstrip. Pilot friend got on the radio and, by the grace of a merciful Lord, got a janitor from the clean-up crew to turn the lights on.

Never again.; 1/26/20, 7:17 PM
Bay Area Guy said...: The Laker Legend Jerry West (aka the Logo) - who has too many accolades to list here - traded for Kobe on Draft Day from the Hornets.

Earned his pay that day, I'd say.; 1/26/20, 7:24 PM
curt said...: My flight instructor (fixed wing) flew helicopters in Vietnam. One day, after describing a few of his experiences, he recommended that I avoid them. That was 40 years ago, and I have never regretted taking his advice.; 1/26/20, 7:42 PM
walter said...: I thought the Nakers were a team in the Naturist Basketball Association.; 1/26/20, 7:45 PM
walter said...: Meanwhile, our president will likely take multiple copter flights in a week.; 1/26/20, 7:48 PM
Howard said...: You're full of shit RH. Auto rotation is done all the time. Just keep the motherfuking RPMs High then you pull pitch the flare at the landing.

I love the remote diagnosis of vortex ring state. That's just another way to descend quickly if you know what you're doing; 1/26/20, 7:49 PM
gspencer said...: "and, by the grace of a merciful Lord, got a janitor from the clean-up crew to turn the lights on"

Lacking common sense to go up when conditions weren't appropriate for his flying skills, but with a highly elevated sense of self and arrogance, John-John wasn't so lucky, taking himself, his frau, and his sister-in-law into the drink.; 1/26/20, 7:50 PM
pacwest said...: Hell of a talent. RIP. I do find the ritual of public mourning for celebrity death a bit odd though.

Condolences, Inga on your recent loss. We lost our eldest at age 32 years. The grief lessens, but never passes.; 1/26/20, 7:53 PM
curt said...: The President’s odds are pretty good. His helicopters are crewed by the best and meticulously serviced after every flight.; 1/26/20, 7:56 PM
Francisco D said...: My wife had a couple of rides with Trump in his helicopter back in the '80s.

He donated them for arts fundraising. He just wanted to be with the celebs involved.; 1/26/20, 8:01 PM
Iman said...: The conditions were so abysmal today that LAPD air support was grounded. The helicopter pilot circled an area around the L.A.Zoo 6 times at an altitude of approx 875 feet, perhaps waiting for the fog to clear. The pilot contacted Burbank airport control tower around 9:30am PT and eventually headed north along the 118 fwy before turning west and started following the 101 fwy around Woodland Hills. At around 9:40am they encountered very heavy fog and the pilot turned south unfortunately toward a mountainous area. Pilot suddenly and rapidly climbed from approx 1200 ft to 2000 ft, and moments later flew into a mountain at 1700 ft elevation at 161 knots.; 1/26/20, 8:03 PM
Inga said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 1/26/20, 8:05 PM
walter said...: I agree, Curt.
Just thought I'd put that out there for context re the technology itself.
Though maybe it's a bit like preparing puffer fish.; 1/26/20, 8:14 PM
Andrew said...: "About a month after a visit the helo I took crashed with a dozen passengers killed. My last helo ride."

My best friend experienced the same thing. He and his wife took an anniversary trip to Vegas, with a day trip to the Grand Canyon. They took a helicopter tour of the canyon and really enjoyed it. Two weeks later (in February, 2018) a helicopter from the same tour company crashed with three fatalities. It may have been the identical helicopter, but he wasn't sure. It definitely shook up his wife.

As much as I feel for Kobe Bryant's family, it bothers me that regular people, non-celebrities, are overlooked when such tragedies occur. May they all RIP.; 1/26/20, 8:15 PM
Inga said...: “Condolences, Inga on your recent loss. We lost our eldest at age 32 years. The grief lessens, but never passes.”

I’m so sorry to hear that you too lost a child.

He was my youngest and my only son. I agree, I don’t think the grief of losing one’s child will ever go away. It’s been 9 months since my son died, the grief is changing a bit, it’s interspersed with numbness and then waves of grief again, but I don’t cry everyday now.; 1/26/20, 8:19 PM
Jaq said...: https://twitter.com/Mc_1up/status/1221525938992607238

I can’t say “too soon?” because it’s from before the crash.; 1/26/20, 8:20 PM
rhhardin said...: You're full of shit RH. Auto rotation is done all the time. Just keep the motherfuking RPMs High then you pull pitch the flare at the landing.

That's the part you can't practice.; 1/26/20, 8:22 PM
rhhardin said...: There are lots of airports where you call (is there still UNICOM?) and the radio turns on the lights for a few minutes. Not unusual.; 1/26/20, 8:24 PM
LA_Bob said...: "Call me crusty, but a head of state dying would move me even less- they are almost always a dime a dozen, and always replaced."

"The graveyards are full of indispensable men".; 1/26/20, 8:25 PM
rhhardin said...: Very common, a radio station traffic helicopter, flies every day, has an engine failure, he autorotates down, suffers a hard landing and winds up in the hospital.

The landing part can't be practiced. It's a real emergency when you do it, whether it's practice or real. Instead of landing in practice you add power and hover with that. So you don't get to try out your timing.; 1/26/20, 8:28 PM
madAsHell said...: That's the part you can't practice.

It seems fitting that Howard wouldn't understand this.; 1/26/20, 8:32 PM
Maillard Reactionary said...: Inga said: " If we humans had our own fragility in front of our minds, we’d curl up in bed and never leave."

I disagree. If we kept our own fragility in the front of our minds, we'd waste less time on worthless things, and be kinder to others.; 1/26/20, 8:58 PM
Curious George said...: "Iman said...
The conditions were so abysmal today that LAPD air support was grounded. The helicopter pilot circled an area around the L.A.Zoo 6 times at an altitude of approx 875 feet, perhaps waiting for the fog to clear. The pilot contacted Burbank airport control tower around 9:30am PT and eventually headed north along the 118 fwy before turning west and started following the 101 fwy around Woodland Hills. At around 9:40am they encountered very heavy fog and the pilot turned south unfortunately toward a mountainous area. Pilot suddenly and rapidly climbed from approx 1200 ft to 2000 ft, and moments later flew into a mountain at 1700 ft elevation at 161 knots."

From what I saw on youtube, the helicopter was circling as it was waiting for inbound traffic (to John wayne IIRC) to pass. Where did you get the rest?; 1/26/20, 9:00 PM
Inga said...: “I disagree. If we kept our own fragility in the front of our minds, we'd waste less time on worthless things, and be kinder to others.”

I think the majority of humans put their own fragility in some sort of protective place in their brains. I kind of doubt most people think of their own deaths being just a breath away, until something like a sudden unexpected death happens to someone very close to them. We all know we’re going to die, but many of us don’t realize it could be five minutes from now. I think it’s that protective mechanism that keeps us from always being kind to each other and living our best lives. We’re only human.; 1/26/20, 9:10 PM
Paul said...: I understand it was a top-of-the-line chopper. How in the heck could the pilot make that kind of mistake??? It had GPS, excellent altimeter, artificial horizon, etc.. he had to know how high the hills were and to stay above them. It's not difficult!!

All I can think of is a wind downdraft pushed them into the hill.

What is real sad is all that young soccer team killed. Little girls just beginning their lives and now gone.; 1/26/20, 9:38 PM
Tim Wright said...: https://www.thedailybeast.com/kobe-bryants-disturbing-rape-case-the-dna-evidence-the-accusers-story-and-the-half-confession?ref=scroll; 1/26/20, 9:42 PM
narciso said...: A fatal mistake, maybe a rotor failed either primary or tail.; 1/26/20, 9:42 PM
JML said...: When I was in college in the late 70's, I was practicing touch and go's out of Coronado Airport in ABQ on my second or third solo flight. There was a crane right along the flight path...for some reason the 150 wasn't climbing, running rough, doggie performance...I couldn't turn because I would lose too much lift and that crane was getting closer and closer...Then I remembered and shoved in the carb heat.

In the 80's I was a C-130 Navigator. We lost two engines over the Rockies at night, and suffered a massive fuel leak. As we worked the problem I had the junior Nav do only one thing - keep his head in the radar scope, and clear our turns - I had it in my head that ATC would turn us into a mountain. They tried. Luckily we had extra crew - no telling if I would have caught it (or the younger nav) if we weren't able to divide our duties and get overwhelmed as the systems failed.

On another occasion, we had to execute a lost wingman in weather - our pilot fucked up and turned the wrong way and climbed, meaning he was fling into the space number two was headed towards. The co-pilot told him if he didn't turn NOW, he'd take control, the pilot swing the aircraft around. The other aircraft passed directly in front of us missing us by just a few feet. That got our attention.

I have more. If you fly and are new in training, fly low level, fly military, fly helicopters, you are going to have close calls. On occasion, they are not close enough and people die.

May they all Rest In Peace.; 1/26/20, 9:45 PM
Bill Peschel said...: I wonder, when we say Rest in Peace, do we mean them, or really us?

Because we're the ones hurting when they die. They're gone, but we have to watch and endure.; 1/26/20, 10:02 PM
AZ Bob said...: When I was a kid, those hills were our playground. They are not that high. I am sad they were flying too low.; 1/26/20, 10:06 PM
AZ Bob said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 1/26/20, 10:06 PM
stephen cooper said...: Bill, I do not say rest in Peace.

When we die the first thing that happens is not rest, it is this: we have left the world and we face God for the first time, for most of us, since the moments before we were born.

So don't ask me what I mean when I say Rest in Peace I never say it.; 1/26/20, 10:10 PM
Scott said...: Helicopter height–velocity diagram, aka "dead man's curve."; 1/26/20, 10:25 PM
Iman said...: My youngest son sent it to me, Curious George, forwarded by a friend. It included “flight tower audio”.

John Wayne (Orange County) Airport would’ve been where they took off from.; 1/26/20, 10:48 PM
Mark said...: Here's a story with little known facts about Bryant's personal life.; 1/26/20, 10:52 PM
Kelly said...: Nope to helicopters. Family rule is no helicopter tours or rides ever. Was in the Army stationed in Korea and went on a road march. At the end we had a choice,we could chopper back or walk. I chose to walk. Nice scenery anyway.; 1/26/20, 11:49 PM
Rick said...: Condolences to his family.

But as relates to the media coverage:

The WAPO reporter who tweeted a link to an article on his rape case was suspended. Apparently you can't bring up negative aspects of certain types of people when they die. Consider whether there are enough data points to determine the rules:

Brant was protected.
Suleimani was a "revered" leader, so protected.
But the Imus obit had his "nappy headed" comment leading off, so open season.

What could the common element be?; 1/27/20, 12:45 AM
readering said...: Mark: thanks, shared link with 4 others.; 1/27/20, 1:45 AM
Clyde said...: Helicopters suck.; 1/27/20, 3:05 AM
exhelodrvr1 said...: No, they don't, Clyde. You just need to treat them respectfully.; 1/27/20, 4:57 AM
rhhardin said...: "This is on the scale of a Michael Jackson." NY sports talk show.; 1/27/20, 5:14 AM
Fernandinande said...: I love the remote diagnosis of vortex ring state.

Thanks! I hooked together the buzzwords from a helicopter safety pamphlet in the same order they appeared there.

"Vortex ring state" - that's where I want to live.; 1/27/20, 7:41 AM
Marc in Eugene said...: Requiescant in pace.

I've flown in a helicopter once, back in the 70s. The airline business was different then, I think (or maybe this sort of thing still happens, I've no idea), and because my arriving flight from London was late whichever airline it was sent me (and three or four others) from JFK to LaGuardia on a helicopter to make sure we caught our departing flights. Never again.; 1/27/20, 7:53 AM
GRW3 said...: Getthereitis… Most often referred to in accident reports as "Continued Flight Into Adverse Weather Conditions". The boss said "Let's go" and the pilot obeyed. Pilot error is how this will be racked up.; 1/27/20, 8:27 AM
MeatPopscicle1234 said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 1/27/20, 9:40 AM
gilbar said...: Just saw this, on a Fox News headline...immortals killed in air tragedies

They keep using that word; i do not think that word means what they think it means; 1/27/20, 11:01 AM
Jim at said...: Poor woman, she’s not going to be able to convince people who are looking for a gotcha.

You made the rules. You simply don't like them now being applied universally.
Tough.; 1/27/20, 12:48 PM
J. D. Canals said...: Flying low in dense fog. NO BUENO!; 1/27/20, 1:47 PM
Iman said...: More detailed info... https://youtu.be/cttx236mUIE; 1/27/20, 4:43 PM
Iman said...: Actual audio and tracking of the flight... https://youtu.be/RVA3k02lMe8; 1/27/20, 5:58 PM