Three Killed As NBC4 News Helicopter Crashes While Covering LA Bus Collision
An NBC4 news helicopter crashed and burst into flames in Chatsworth, Los Angeles, on Tuesday evening while its crew was covering a deadly collision between an SUV and a Metro bus. Three people were killed in the helicopter crash, including two people aboard the aircraft and one person on the ground. Two others were hospitalized.
The helicopter, known as NewsChopper4, went down shortly before 7 pm near the 9100 block of North Mason Avenue, about 1.6 km from the earlier bus crash. The aircraft crashed between commercial buildings, landing near shipping containers and parked vehicles before catching fire. The blaze damaged four vehicles and two storage containers.
NBC4 and Telemundo 52 later confirmed that the helicopter was operated by Angel City Air and identified the two people aboard as aerial reporter and photojournalist Eliana Moreno and pilot George Marcinia. Both were killed in the crash. A third person on the ground also died.
The station had been using the helicopter to provide aerial coverage of the earlier traffic collision. NBC4 lost contact with its air crew around 7 pm, and anchor Colleen Williams later confirmed during the station's live broadcast that its helicopter had crashed.
More than 70 firefighters responded to the helicopter crash and worked to extinguish the fire. Two people were taken to hospital following the incident, although their conditions were not immediately disclosed.
The helicopter crash came after an earlier collision involving an SUV and a Los Angeles Metro bus at Nordhoff Street and De Soto Avenue shortly after 5 pm. Initial reports said two people were killed and six injured. Metro later said three fatalities had been confirmed in the bus collision, while six people were transported to hospitals.
The cause of the helicopter crash remains unknown. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) are investigating the incident, with investigators expected to examine the wreckage and circumstances surrounding the crash.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and California Governor Gavin Newsom expressed condolences to the victims and their families as emergency crews responded to the two separate tragedies in Chatsworth.