The helicopter that crashed in California Sunday, killing Kobe Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter and seven others, had a strong safety record and was like “a limousine,” the NBA legend’s former pilot said.

Kurt Deetz — who flew Bryant, 41, between 2014 and 2016 — told The Los Angeles Times it’s more likely the crash was caused by bad weather than engine or mechanical issues.

“The likelihood of a catastrophic twin engine failure on that aircraft — it just doesn’t happen,” said Deetz, who logged more than 1,000 hours with the Sikorsky S-76B.

Deetz, a former pilot for Island Express Helicopters, said the chopper was in “fantastic” condition and compared it to “a Cadillac, a limousine — it’s limo-esque.”

Built in 1991, the aircraft was owned by Island Express Helicopters, and the company follows a “very good maintenance program,” Deetz said.

It took off from John Wayne Airport at 9:06 a.m., and crashed shortly before 10 a.m. in the hills over Calabasas, igniting a brush fire.

Weather conditions on Sunday morning were “not good at all,” Deetz said.

The LAPD said it grounded its fleet on Sunday morning due to heavy fog that didn’t meet its “standard for flying.”

When he heard about the crash, Deetz said, “my heart sank.”

“In this business, when you hear about a crash like this, it’s a very surreal experience.”

Deetz said the craft was favored by the Los Angeles Lakers great, who would choose to fly in it nine times out of 10.

When the hoops star retired from the NBA in 2016, he flew out of downtown LA in it, Deetz said.

Bryant and his daughter Gianna had reportedly been on their way to his Mamba Sports Academy in Thousand Oaks, where she was set to play in a basketball game that he was planning on coaching.

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the cause of the crash.