OUTPOURING OF GRIEF

All 9 Victims of the Kobe Bryant Helicopter Crash Identified

The last victims to be identified include a mother and her teenage daughter, along with the helicopter’s pilot.

Sarah Chester, her teenage daughter, Payton Chester, and pilot Ara Zobayan were the last victims to be identified in the helicopter crash Sunday that killed all nine people on board, including NBA legend Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter. Payton previously attended Harbor View Elementary School in Corona Del Mar, according to the school’s principal, Todd Schmidt. He wrote in a Facebook post that the family “made such a huge impact at Harbor View...they were genuine, kind-hearted, and caring...to the staff, to other families...and yes, especially to me.” “While the world mourns the loss of a dynamic athlete and humanitarian, I mourn the loss of two people just as important,” he added. The helicopter was piloted by Ara Zobayan, who received his commercial pilot certificate in 2007, according to the FAA. Jared Yochim, a fellow pilot who called Zobayan his friend, said “Ara impacted so many people and only in a positive way” and that he “was an incredible pilot, instructor pilot, charter pilot and truly a great man.” 

The other victims in the crash include Christine Mauser, an assistant basketball coach at Harbor Day School in Newport Beach, along with John Altobelli, head baseball coach at Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa, his wife Keri and their daughter Alyssa, who played on the same basketball team as Bryant’s daughter, Gianna.