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Helicopter Carrying Kobe Bryant Received Special Approval to Fly in Foggy Conditions

The helicopter that crashed and killed Kobe Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others received special approval to fly in severe fog on Sunday morning.

The helicopter flew north from Orange County, Calif., and later circled near Burbank while waiting for clearance to continue. Audio records released on Monday included communications between the helicopter's pilot and and air traffic control at Burbank Airport. The helicopter received Special Visual Flight Rules clearance to continue through the fog.

Before losing radio contact, the pilot asked for "flight following" for the controllers to track the flight and stay in contact.