The helicopter carrying Bryant and his daughter, Gianna, left Santa Ana in Orange County shortly after 9am

Conditions were not suitable for flying, according to Los Angeles police who grounded their own choppers 

Pilot was flying under visual flight rules (VFR), meaning he was relying on his ability to see terrain below him

Around 9.20am, the helicopter circled for about 15 minutes east of Interstate-5, near Glendale, data shows 

Air traffic controllers held up the chopper for other aircraft for 11 minutes, before clearing it through Burbank

The pilot, who was named as Ara Zobayan, could've contacted ATC and requested to switch to instrument flight rules (IFR), which would have allowed him to navigate through the clouds