Chilling Footage Emerges of Kobe Bryant’s Helicopter Flying Erratically Before Crash

By PopZette Staff | January 28, 2020

Chilling video footage has emerged showing Kobe Bryant’s helicopter circling the skies of Glendale, California “aggressively” minutes before it crashed, killing the 41 year-old NBA legend and eight others.

The video was shared to Twitter by a user with the handle @theironlydreams, who spotted the helicopter flying above their house and immediately started filming.

“I try and video /photograph all the weird stuff happening above my house in Glendale, CA,” the user wrote. “Unfortunately this morning I didn’t realize I was filming the helicopter Kobe Bryant, his daughter and others were in 31 minutes before they crashed.”

RELATED: Actress Evan Rachel Wood Gets Major Backlash For Calling Kobe Bryant A ‘Rapist’ After His Death

The Twitter user later added that the “pilot was performing a very aggressive circling maneuver, that’s why I went outside to Film because it was so loud. I observed 1 or 2 circles before filming and he was even lower and closer to my house, engine maxed.”

This comes after veteran pilot Robert Ditchey told USA Today that the helicopter crash, which also killed Bryant’s 13 year-old daughter Gianna, “was totally avoidable.”

“And on the part of some people I can go as far as to say irresponsible,” Ditchey said. “Here’s one of the most important people in the world who comes to a tragic end like this and you say, ‘Why? What the hell happened?'”

The weather was so foggy in Southern California on the morning of the crash that the Los Angeles Police Department had grounded all of their helicopters due to safety concerns, according to Daily Mail. Despite this, Bryant’s helicopter took off from Santa Ana in Orange County just after 9am to take him to a basketball game that his daughter was set to play in.

Ditchey wondered why anyone would get on a helicopter in these kind of “very scary conditions.”

“The weather is not good enough for the police to fly,” Ditchey said. “Why should Kobe do it?”

The experienced pilot went on to explain that the helicopter likely crashed because of the decreased visibility that stemmed from the fog in Glendale.

RELATED: My Take: Kobe Bryant Death

“He’s down only 100 feet or so above the ground,” he continued. “In that area of the San Fernando Valley you have mountains on either side of you … and the clouds have obscured them, and you don’t have that much room to maneuver.”

Unfortunately, it is becoming increasingly clear that this tragedy could have been prevented had more precautions been taken. We can only hope that this devastating tragedy causes people to think twice before boarding helicopters in questionable weather conditions going forward.

This piece originally appeared in LifeZette and is used by permission.

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The post Chilling Footage Emerges of Kobe Bryant’s Helicopter Flying Erratically Before Crash appeared first on The Political Insider.

Watch: Ted Cruz Rips ‘Nasty’ Reporter Who Suggested Jailing His Kids

Ted Cruz eviscerated a reporter covering the impeachment trial for playing a “nasty game” after the latter suggested the senator’s children should be in jail.

The reporter clearly thought he was making a witty retort to Cruz’ insistence that Hunter Biden, son of former vice president Joe Biden, may be involved in corruption with a Ukrainian gas company.

The journalist dismissed Hunter’s involvement with the company and his father’s quid pro quo in demanding a prosecutor investigating them be fired under the threat of withholding aid.

“Hunter Biden got a job,” they said. “His dad was Vice President. If that’s a crime, shouldn’t half of your children be in prison?”

Cue the sad trombone. We’re sure when he wrote it down, this hack thought he was delivering an epic rebuttal. Until you realize Cruz’s children are 9 and 11-years-old.

RELATED: Ted Cruz: Democrats Made ‘Very Serious Strategic Error,’ Hunter Biden Testimony Now Needed

Cruz Shreds Democrats

Republican senators have been threatening to haul Hunter in with a subpoena during the impeachment trial as a means to understand more about President Trump’s desire to investigate corruption in Ukraine.

“We’ve just seen two hours of evidence and at a minimum, it was not only reasonable and justified but the president, I think had an obligation to investigate corruption that potentially extended to the very highest levels of government,” Cruz told reporters.

Cruz shrugged off the latest alleged ‘bombshell‘ involving former National Security Adviser John Bolton’s book and instead suggested it is Biden who is the more crucial witness.

“I get that the press loves to obsess over the latest bombshell,” Cruz responded. “Listen, I don’t know what John Bolton’s book says or doesn’t say. I’ve seen the New York Times coverage but at the end of the day, it doesn’t impact the legal issue before this Senate.”

“The legal issue before this Senate is whether a president has the authority to investigate corruption,” he continued. “So the House managers built their entire case on the proposition that investigating Burisma corruption, investigating the Bidens for corruption, was baseless and a sham. The proposition is absurd.”

Not as absurd as the media suggesting his children should be in jail if they had jobs. Which they don’t. Again, because they’re 9 and 11.

RELATED: Senator Hawley Preparing Motions to Subpoena Schiff, Bidens, Whistleblower in Impeachment Trial

Comparing Hunter to a 9-Year-Old

To his credit, Cruz keeps his cool when being confronted with such an asinine analogy that everybody surrounding him and the reporter bursts into laughter.

‘Shouldn’t half your children be in prison?’

The reporter actually had to write this down in his little journal or rehearse the question in his head and then actually said it out loud.

“My children are 9 and 11, I’m sorry you want to throw a 9-year-old in prison, but at this point, my third-grader plays basketball and softball at her school so stop playing the nasty Washington game,” Cruz shot back.

“It’s not a nasty Washington game,” came the reporter’s response.

“Attacking a 9-year-old?” Cruz scoffed, giving a slight wave of the hand and moving on to people more serious about their careers.

The post Watch: Ted Cruz Rips ‘Nasty’ Reporter Who Suggested Jailing His Kids appeared first on The Political Insider.

NBA Star Kobe Bryant Killed in Helicopter Crash

By David Kamioner | January 26, 2020

Basketball legend Kobe Bryant, 41, was killed on Sunday in a helicopter crash over Calabasas, California.

The city is about 30 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles. ESPN and ABC News confirm the report.

The Sikorsky s-76 aircraft crashed with five people on board. The cause of the accident is not yet known.

Bryant played with the LA. Lakers for 20 years and won five NBA championships. He was named all-star 18 times, was a 15 time all-NBA player, and was the 2008 NBA MVP.

Bryant had a colorful personal life and was known for his actions on and off the court.

His death will no doubt draw mourning from fans and retrospectives of a great sports career cut short by an untimely death.

This piece originally appeared in LifeZette and is used by permission.

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The post NBA Star Kobe Bryant Killed in Helicopter Crash appeared first on The Political Insider.