A news helicopter operating for NBC Los Angeles went down in flames Tuesday evening, killing three people including two crew members and a person on the ground while the aircraft covered a separate fatal bus accident in the Chatsworth neighborhood of northern Los Angeles.
Helicopter Erupts in Fireball Between Buildings
The crash occurred just before 7 p.m. when NewsChopper4, owned and operated by Angel City Air, went down between two commercial buildings in a parking lot area. The aircraft immediately erupted in a fireball upon impact, according to witnesses at the scene. The resulting fire destroyed the helicopter completely and damaged four vehicles plus two storage containers. Fire Captain Brandon Silverman reported crews could not even identify the tail section in the wreckage. Two additional people were transported to area hospitals with conditions unknown at the time of initial reports.
A witness whose husband works in law enforcement noticed the helicopter behaving strangely moments before the crash. The aircraft appeared to be swaying in an unusual pattern approximately five seconds before observers saw large plumes of smoke rising from the crash site, she told reporters. NBC Los Angeles anchor Colleen Williams confirmed during a live broadcast that the station had lost contact with their team aboard the helicopter, her voice shaking with emotion as she announced the tragic news to viewers.
Veteran Broadcast Team Lost
Angel City Air identified the victims aboard the helicopter as Eliana Moreno and pilot George Marciniw. Moreno, born in Orange County, graduated from Chapman University in 2010 with degrees in broadcast journalism and political science. She joined Angel City Air that same year and became a familiar voice providing aerial coverage for NBC Los Angeles and its sister station. Marciniw, a 1974 graduate of Burbank High School who grew up in Southern California, had been flying with Moreno since 2023. The coroner’s office identified the ground victim as 29-year-old Edy Gutierrez Mejia.
Officials React to Double Tragedy
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass called it a very tragic day for the city, expressing grief over the loss of five people in the combined incidents. Governor Gavin Newsom issued a statement extending condolences to victims’ families and thanking first responders. The National Transportation Safety Board announced Wednesday it would investigate the crash of the Eurocopter AS 350 B2 helicopter, with the Federal Aviation Administration also participating in the investigation into what caused the aircraft to go down during routine news coverage.