Three people have died after an NBC4 news helicopter crashed and caught fire in Chatsworth, Los Angeles, while covering a nearby collision involving a city bus. The victims included aerial reporter Eliana Moreno and pilot George Marciniw.
The helicopter went down shortly before 7pm on Tuesday, 15 September, between two commercial buildings in the 9100 block of North Mason Avenue, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.
Moreno and Marciniw were employees of Angel City Air, which operated NewsChopper4 for NBC4 and Telemundo 52. Moreno was a familiar voice during the stations’ aerial coverage and had worked with the helicopter team since 2010.
Firefighters said one person on the ground was killed, while two people aboard the helicopter also died. Two other people were taken to hospital, although their conditions were not immediately known.
The impact started a fire which damaged four vehicles and two storage containers. Crews extinguished the flames and searched the wreckage, which officials said had been largely destroyed.
The helicopter had been covering a separate crash nearby in which an SUV collided with a Metro bus, killing at least two people and injuring six others.
NBC4 and Telemundo 52 said they were “deeply saddened” by the fatal accident and offered condolences to the victims’ families, friends and colleagues.
The cause of the Chatsworth helicopter crash remains unclear. The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are expected to investigate, alongside Los Angeles police.
