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The journey that the Kobe Bryant helicopter took 0:42
(CNN) - The helicopter that crashed during the weekend in California killing nine people, including NBA legend Kobe Bryant, dropped more than 2,000 feet (more than 600 meters) in one minute and was still in one piece until it hit a hillside, a member of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said on Tuesday.
The helicopter was 2,300 feet (700 meters) high when it lost communication on Sunday morning with air traffic control, the NTSB said. The pilot said he was climbing at a higher altitude to avoid a cloud cover. That last contact was around 9:45 am on Sunday. The first 911 call came two minutes later, said Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva.
Parts of the helicopter were found scattered at the accident site, which ranged from 500 to 600 feet (150 to 180 meters), the NTSB said.
NTSB investigators concluded recovery efforts at the scene of the accident on Tuesday.
While the NTSB concluded its recovery operations on Tuesday at the scene of the accident, investigators are working to determine the cause of the accident. NTSB board member Jennifer Homendy said the helicopter did not have a terrain alert system, which provides the pilot with information on the ground.
Homendy said the NTSB has recommended that similar helicopters be equipped with that safety feature after a fatal accident in Galveston, Texas, which killed 10 people in 2004. The Federal Aviation Administration did not implement the recommendation, he said.
Homendy said the helicopter could not avoid a hill for about 20 to 30 feet (6 to 9 meters).
"The helicopter's descent speed was more than 2,000 feet in one minute, so we know it was a high-impact crash," Homendy said.
She added: “This is a fairly steep descent at high speed. Therefore, it would not be a normal landing speed. ”
According to Homendy, "the preliminary information is that the helicopter was in one piece when it hit the ground."
While investigators search for clues, the pilot's last words with air traffic control illustrate a foggy scene in the sky.
Pilot Ara Zobayan said he was rising to avoid a cloud cover, Homendy reported Monday. But when the air traffic control asked him what he planned to do, there was no response.
The helicopter crashed on a hillside in Calabasas, California.
Visibility was so low on Sunday morning that the Los Angeles Police Department had decided to land its helicopters.
But it is still unclear what caused the helicopter accident that killed parents, children and one of the best athletes of all time.
Bryant, 41, and his daughter Gianna, 13, were heading to a basketball game at Thousand Oaks, where he was expected to train and play.
Among the other six passengers were two of Gianna's teammates with their parents and an assistant female basketball coach. The pilot, Zobayan, also died.
The medical department of Los Angeles County announced on Tuesday that four of the nine bodies recovered, including Kobe Bryant, were officially identified by using fingerprints. Researchers are still working to identify the five remaining bodies.
Kobe Bryant