The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) says Kobe Bryant’s pilot may have been disoriented by fog in the lead up to the crash.
Documents from NTSB sayAra Zobayanthought he was ascending when the helicopter was actually going downward.
Investigators say the pilot told air traffic control that he was "climbing to four thousand” before the crash happened.
According to the documents, Zobayan never responded when the air traffic control asked of what he intended to do once he got to that altitude.
The pilot had crashed at the time, as evidence shows the chopper was descending when Zobayan claimed it was ascending.
"The pilot could have misperceived both pitch and roll angles,” NTSB said, adding that this could be due to the dense fog in the area.
Kobe Bryant died alongside his daughter Gianna in January, following a helicopter crash which also claimed the lives of eight others.