Autopsies from Kobe Bryant helicopter crash show pilot had no drugs in system

Autopsies from the fatal helicopter crash that killed Kobe Bryant along with eight others show the pilot tested negative for drugs or alcohol in his system.

Reports came out Friday from the Los Angeles County coroner’s office, revealing autopsies for all nine passengers, including Bryant, 41, and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, The New York Times reported.

The autopsies concluded that the 50-year-old pilot, Ara Zobayan, was clean of drugs and alcohol in his body at the time of the crash. The 180-page report details the victims’ injuries, reporting that all nine passengers suffered blunt trauma, resulting in their death.

A medical examiner on the case noted that the injuries described in the report “are rapidly if not instantly fatal.” The autopsy report also stated a jersey was found near the scene.

The National Transportation and Safety Board is still investigating the Jan. 26 crash, but are mainly focusing on the weather conditions that day near Calabasas, Calif., also ruling out the possibility of engine failure, the report added.

On the day of the crash, Zobayan was piloting the helicopter, moving at nearly 184 miles per hour and fighting to rise above low-altitude clouds before careening into a hillside.

Zobayan was reportedly an experienced flyer, logging over 1,200 hours in the S-76B helicopter he flew on that day.

He was certified to fly under low visibility conditions. However, the owner of the helicopter, Island Express Helicopters, allows only for its pilots to fly under Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certifications, which rules that anyone flying must be able to see the ground and a half-mile in front of them, The Times reported.