Inside Edition Retraces Kobe Bryant's Last Flight Looking for Answers

The helicopter carrying Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna and seven others made a steep climb just before crashing into the hillside, according to investigators.

In his last message to air traffic controllers, the pilot said he was climbing to avoid a cloud layer, an investigator for the National Transportation Safety Board said at a Monday news conference.

Inside Edition's Jim Moret and veteran pilot Philippe Lesourd retraced the flight path looking for more answers on how bad weather and poor visibility may have led to the crash that resulted in the sudden deaths of Bryant and all those on board.

The flight departed from John Wayne Airport just after 9 a.m. on Sunday. It was a foggy morning with low clouds, making it harder to see the terrain. Pilot Ara Zaboyan followed Interstate 5 north through Los Angeles. 

"This is the freeway they were using a guide — a map if you will," Moret says in the video above.

About 45 miles into the journey, they circled the area around the Los Angeles Zoo for about 10 minutes and continued onward.

But things went awry after air traffic control warned Zaboyan that the helicopter was too low to be seen on the radar.

Shortly after, it made a steep climb before crashing at 176 mph in the hills of Calabasas, a wealthy area home to the Kardashians and Justin Bieber. 

Bryant was known to use helicopters for travel to avoid Los Angeles traffic. He and his daughter were heading from their home in Orange County to Mamba Sports Academy for a basketball game when the helicopter crashed. 

The NTSB is still investigating the crash.

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