Helicopter Carrying Kobe Made Climbing Turn Before Rapid Dive

“The weather situation did not meet our minimum standards for flying,” Rubenstein said, adding that the fog “was enough that we were not flying.”

The LAPD’s flight minimums are 2 miles of visibility and an 800-foot cloud ceiling, he said. He continued to say that the department typically flies two helicopters when conditions allow, one in the San Fernando Valley and one in the L.A. basin.

According to the department, the LAPD Air Support Division is the largest municipal airborne law enforcement organization in the United States.