Investigators have recovered the remains of the crash.

Investigators have pieced together some new information to help understand what went wrong in the helicopter crash in Calabasas, Calif. that claimed the lives of NBA legend Kobe Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, and seven other people.

CNN quotes Jennifer Homendy of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) as saying, “The descent rate for the helicopter was over 2,000 feet a minute, so we know that this was a high energy impact crash. This is a pretty steep descent at high speed. So it wouldn’t be a normal landing speed.”

50-year-old pilot Ara Zobayan was apparently flying in the midst of heavy fog and visibility was extremely low. Zobayan reportedly accelerated and ascended the helicopter, likely trying to rise above the fog and divert the helicopter from the clouds. Experts say Zobayan should have asked air traffic control to convert from VFR (visual flight rules) to IFR (instrument flight rules) as he probably did not have much experience flying through clouds.

Former co-worker of Zobayan, Kurt Deetz, who was also a former pilot for Bryant with 30 years of experience flying around the LA area, says the switch from VFR to IFR is not easy to make in a fog bank. Forbes quotes him as saying, “It’s a very unnerving feeling if you’re not ready. He may have gotten in it and thought, ‘I don’t want to be here.’”

Zobayan reportedly missed a Calabasas mountainside clearing by about 20-30 feet. The helicopter is said to have descended to 1,085 feet and crashed at an excessive 161 knots (184-185 MPH). Experts say the accident is a result of a pilot error rather than mechanical failure.

All nine bodies have been recovered from the crash. Unfortunately the helicopter did not have a black box, which is a recording device implemented into many aircrafts that helps investigators determine the cause of an accident or crash.