Kobe Bryant

[ShockDiamonds]

Blimey Dinny, can you put a mascara warning on that one?

[dinny_g]

I’m not a massive basketball fan but my boy is so it’s part of our household

For reasons I can’t quite fathom, this has hit me really hard...

[Coaster1]

I’m not a massive basketball fan but my boy is so it’s part of our household

For reasons I can’t quite fathom, this has hit me really hard...

I used to play (school/college/ local league etc).

Didn’t use to like Kobe as I grew up watching Michael Jordan, but Kobe developed to be one of the all time greats; an ambassador to the game globally (he was the face of World Cup in China last year) and a champion of women sports (cos of his daughters’ influence).

Basketball obviously is only a minor sport in this country but even Talksport radio had an one hour special on Sunday as soon as the news was confirmed.

[PaulJ]

Helicopters wil glide - the spinning rotor disc acts like a wing. Obvs not as far as a plane but it's not strictly engine out drop like a stone. Tail rotor failure is another issue altogether mind.

I've auto-rotated a chopper, it was fun. Although to be fair I did have the knowledge the engine was still going it it started to be less fun.

In any case, a tragic situation. I noted on twatter last night some people were complaining about the outpourings of grief because <insert their favourite sports person death> wasn't as widely publicised as this person they'd never heard of.

I hate people.

Some years ago at work (R-R Aerospace division) I was told that most helicopter crashes were as a result of transmission failures which jam the rotors resulting in immediate decent. Don't know if this still holds true, but RIP to all concerned.