A news helicopter operated by Angel City Air on behalf of NBC Los Angeles crashed in a parking lot in Chatsworth, a community in the San Fernando Valley, on Tuesday evening, killing the pilot, the photojournalist on board, and one person on the ground.
The Los Angeles Fire Department confirmed the crash happened shortly before 7 p.m. while the aircraft was providing aerial coverage of a separate bus collision on Nordhoff Street. Fire Battalion Chief Rico A. Gross told reporters at a late-night news conference that three people were found dead at the scene and two others were taken to hospital in conditions that were not immediately disclosed.
Victims Identified as Eliana Moreno and George Marciniw
The station identified the two crew members as Eliana Moreno, an aerial photojournalist known to viewers of NBC Los Angeles and its Spanish-language sister station Telemundo 52, and pilot George Marciniw. The third person killed was identified on Wednesday as Edy Gutierrez Mejia, 29, who Fire Captain Branden Silverman said appeared to have been a pedestrian on the ground.
Moreno grew up in Orange County and graduated from Chapman University in 2010 with a degree in broadcast journalism and political science. She joined Angel City Air that same year and went on to cover news for several Southern California outlets. Marciniw was also a Southern California native who attended Burbank High School.
Witness Describes the Crash
Zareh Sevanesian was driving near the area with his wife, Allyona, when he noticed the helicopter behaving unusually. "I saw the helicopter — something didn't look right. And I told my wife, 'That helicopter is not flying right,'" he said on the TODAY show. He described watching it drop steadily lower before pulling over as fire erupted. "It was one of the most violent fires I had ever seen," he said.
Firefighters who arrived at the scene found the helicopter fully engulfed in flames, which had spread to several vehicles parked nearby. The crash came hours after two people died when an SUV collided with a Los Angeles Metro bus at around 5:03 p.m. The news helicopter was among several aircraft covering that incident when it went down.
Reactions and Investigation
NBC Los Angeles and Telemundo 52 issued a joint statement expressing condolences to the families of those who died. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass called it "a heartbreaking night for our city," saying five Angelenos were lost that day. California Governor Gavin Newsom also offered condolences, extending sympathy to "the entire NBC4 family."
The National Transportation Safety Board said it is leading the investigation into the crash of the Eurocopter AS 350 B2 helicopter, with the Federal Aviation Administration also involved. NTSB investigators were expected on the scene on Wednesday morning.
