helicopter crash

NBA great Bryant, 41, and his 13-year-old daughter Gianni were among nine people who tragically died when the aircraft they were travelling in came down in Calabasas, California last month.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) on Friday released its preliminary findings from the January 26 crash, revealing the two engines appeared to be working at the time of impact as a piece of cut tree branch was found 30 feet from the impact crater.

Island Express Helicopters was limited to operating when the pilot was able to see clearly when flying.

The pilot reportedly had the federal certification to fly the helicopter relying only on cockpit instruments.

However he is likely to have had little experience in doing so, experts say.

This was due to him being restricted by the company's licensing.

The cause of the crash in foggy weather west of Los Angeles is still being investigated. Bryant was on his way to coach his daughter's basketball team in a local youth tournament at the Mamba Sports Academy.

Will Byler and Bailee Ackerman Byler were both students at Sam Houston State University. Their deaths were first reported by the student newspaper.

The crash occurred near Uvalde, about 85 miles (135km) west of San Antonio.

On social media, wedding attendees have been posting their condolences in the captions of wedding photos.

"I'm absolutely devastated!" wrote one friend on Facebook, adding that the pilot of the aircraft was also killed.

Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha was in the helicopter when it came down at about 20:30 BST on Saturday, a source close to the family has told the BBC.

Witnesses said they saw it just clear the stadium before it spiralled out of control and crashed in a fireball.

The BBC understands two crew members and three passengers were on board.

Leicester had drawn 1-1 against West Ham United at the King Power Stadium, with the match finishing about one hour before the helicopter took off from the pitch.

Prince Mansour Bin Muqrin was traveling in the helicopter with a number of other officials when it crashed.

"His Royal Highness Prince Mansour bin Muqrin Al Saud, who was appointed Deputy Governor of Asir in 22 April 2017, was killed in a helicopter crash while performing an inspection in remote parts of The Governorate. He was also accompanied by several other officials of the Asir Governorate and local municipalities," a spokeswoman for the Saudi embassy in D.C. told NBC News.

The Accident Investigation Commission (AIC) confirmed with Loop PNG this afternoon that both persons have been transported to the Kiunga Hospital for treatment.

While the AIC are still gathering information, it is understood that both passengers operating a Bell 407 helicopter were attempting to air lift three fuel drums from Kiunga Airport.

It is assumed at this point that the fuel drums may have been to heavy for the helicopter which forced it to crash.

A Eurocopter crashed as it attempted to land on Treasure Island, Fiji Broadcasting Corporation reported.

It was apparently caught by a strong gust of wind.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Fiji (CAAF) said there were seven people on board at the time, including the pilot, but there were no fatalities.