That is among the tough and unsettling questions law enforcement and aviation officials are hoping to answer. “We do know there was an issue with visibility and a low ceiling,” said Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva on Sunday evening. “The actual conditions at the time of impact, that is still yet to be determined.”

Eyal Smener was on the phone in his living room when he heard a loud whirring sound. He thought it might be a helicopter flying much lower than usual up in the hills behind his home in Calabasas, but he did not hang up the phone to investigate. The noise he heard next is one he will not soon forget. “It was this weird, loud grinding sound,” he said. “And then nothing. Just nothing.” He didn’t think much about it until his wife told him an hour later there had been a terrible helicopter crash involving Kobe Bryant. Then he knew he had heard the final seconds of Bryant and the other souls lost aboard a helicopter that Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva told reporters had claimed the lives of nine people on Sunday morning.

When I was 17 years old, I had the opportunity to interview Bryant in Orlando during an After-School All-Stars charity event (after emailing his publicist more times than I’m proud to admit). He accepted a key to the city of Orlando and spoke with hundreds of children about the importance of academic success and chasing their dreams. I’d only ever seen Bryant on television, so the thought of meeting him and talking to him one-on-one was incredibly nerve-wracking. However, when Bryant arrived, he was extraordinarily friendly and gracious. He gave thoughtful answers and was so kind, even though I was just a teenager and there were a million more important things he could’ve done with his time. Whoever said “never meet your heroes” clearly wasn’t talking about Kobe. It was sweet watching this on-court assassin interact with young children too. They went nuts when he emerged from the Amway Arena tunnel and after joking with them for a bit, he spoke about the importance of education and chasing your dreams. The kids were captivated, hanging on his every word. After the event, he told me that he felt blessed to be in a position where he could have such a significant impact on the youth.

Nine people died in the helicopter crash on Sunday that claimed the lives of Kobe and Gianna Bryant. Though the Bryants lead the headlines due to their fame, we want to make sure we also recognize the other victims who died. In addition to Kobe and Gianna, junior college baseball coach John Altobelli, his wife Keri, and daughter Alyssa died in the crash. We have since learned that another victim was Christina Mauser, who was a girls’ basketball coach. Mauser’s husband Matt shared the sad news of Christina’s death on Facebook Sunday.