8:18 p.m. ET, January 27, 2020

There was no black box on the helicopter, NTSB says

There was no black box — a cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder — onboard the helicopter that carried NBA legend Kobe Bryant and eight others, said Jennifer Homendy, a member of the National Transportation Safety Board.

According to Homendy, it is not a requirement. There was an iPad, however, which was recovered at the crash site. It is used by the pilot for flight plans and weather briefings, she told reporters today at a news conference. The NTSB will be looking at other avionics to see what information can be gathered.

The impact crater is 1,085 feet above sea level, Homendy said as she described the debris field as being about 500 to 600 feet.

When asked about any chance for survival, Homendy responded by saying, “It was a pretty devastating accident scene.”

“There is an impact area on one of the hills and the piece of the tail is down the hill, on the left side of the hill, fuselage is on the other side of the hill, and the main rotor is about a 100 yards beyond that,” she said as she described the scene.