Kobe Bryant’s “Mamba Chopper” took off from John Wayne Airport in Orange County, California, at 9:06 a.m. on Sunday. It beelined northwest toward Los Angeles, picking up Interstate 5, at an average speed of roughly 175 miles per hour, between 400 and 800 feet above sea level. For about 12 minutes, it circled over Glendale — just north of downtown L.A. — waiting for clearance. Then it continued on its way toward Thousand Oaks, 36 miles away. Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, and seven others were reportedly on their way to a youth basketball event.
So what, exactly, happened in those 15 minutes?