Simon Ateba is Chief White House Correspondent for Today News Africa. Simon covers President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, the U.S. government, the United Nations, the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and other financial and international institutions in Washington D.C. and New York City.
Pilot Ara Zobayan, mother and daughter Sarah Chester and Payton Chester were the remaining three persons killed in a helicopter crash on Sunday along with Basketball legend Kobe Bryant, his 13-year old daughter Gianna Onore, college baseball coach John Altobelli, his daughter Alyssa Altobelli and wife Keri Altobelli as well as Christina Mauser, a girls’ basketball coach.
KTLA’s Christina Pascucci, a licensed pilot, said on Twitter that Zobayan was described as an experienced flyer who taught aspiring helicopter pilots to fly and was very much loved in the aviation community.
Pascucci said Zobayan was instrument rated pilot and could fly in fog/clouds.
College baseball coach John Altobelli, his daughter Alyssa Altobelli and wife Keri Altobelli were among those killed in a helicopter crash on Sunday along with Basketball legend Kobe Bryant and 13-year old daughter Gianna Onore, a girls’ basketball coach Christina Mauser.
Altobelli had three children, according to his profile on Orange Coast College’s website. Son J.J., a baseball scout for the Boston Red Sox, daughter Alexis, and daughter Alyssa who died along with him and his wife. Alyssa was a teammate of Gigi on their Mamba Academy basketball team.
Christina Mauser, a girls’ basketball coach was also killed in the crash on Sunday, as well as three other persons who were yet to be identified.
Mauser worked at a private school in Orange County, California. She was among nine people killed when their helicopter crashed in Calabasas, according to Costa Mesa mayor Katrina Foley.
“My kids and I are devastated,” Christina’s husband, Matt Mauser, wrote on Facebook.
“We lost our beautiful wife and mom today in a helicopter crash. Please respect our privacy. Thank you for all the well wishes they mean so much.”
The Sikorsky S-76 crashed in the hills of Calabasas around 10 a.m. local time, killing everyone on board.
![General Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan on February 6, 2020 [Twitter]](https://i2.wp.com/todaynewsafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Abdel-Fattah-Al-BurhanEQJPGmuU4AEVkRG.jpeg?resize=390%2C220&ssl=1 "General Abdel Fattah AlBurhan on February 6 2020 Twitter • Today News Africa")