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NTSB: Kobe Bryant pilot may have been disoriented in fog

The National Transportation Safety Board said Wednesday that Ara Zobayan's last transmission said he was climbing to 4,000 feet to get above clouds.
Credit: AP
Kobe Bryant #10 of United States reacts in the second quarter while taking on Argentina during the Men's Basketball semifinal match on Day 14 of the London 2012 Olympic Games at the North Greenwich Arenaon August 10, 2012 in London, England.

The pilot of the helicopter that crashed in thick fog, killing Kobe Bryant and seven other passengers, reported he was climbing when he actually was descending, federal investigators said in documents released Wednesday.

Ara Zobayan radioed to air traffic controllers that he was climbing to 4,000 feet (1,220 meters) to get above clouds on Jan. 26 when, in fact, the helicopter was plunging toward a hillside where it crashed northwest of Los Angeles. 

The report by the National Transportation Safety Board said Zobayan may have "misperceived" the pitch of the aircraft, which can happen when a pilot becomes disoriented in low visibility. 

Experts have said the path of the flight indicated Zobayan was disoriented. 

The 1,700 pages of reports do not offer a conclusion of what caused the crash but compile factual reports. A final report on the cause is due later.

Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, and six of their friends were killed, along with Zobayan. 

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Associated Press journalists David Koenig in Dallas, and Stefanie Dazio and Christopher Weber in Los Angeles contributed.

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