Three killed when NBC-affiliated news helicopter crashes in Chatsworth

A news helicopter operated by Angel City Air and affiliated with NBC Los Angeles crashed in a parking lot near a self-storage facility in Chatsworth, Los Angeles County, shortly before 7 p.m. on Tuesday. The crash killed the pilot, George Marciniw, aerial photojournalist Eliana Moreno, and a pedestrian on the ground, while two additional people were taken to hospital, fire officials said.

The aircraft was covering a fatal collision between a Metro bus and a passenger vehicle on Nordhoff Street that had occurred at 5:03 p.m., which had already resulted in two deaths and several injuries. Multiple helicopters were on scene when the NewsChopper 4 went down.

"We knew it was a news chopper, we knew we’d lost contact with our people out there, and we’ve just received the confirmation that, in fact, NewsChopper 4 went down just before 7 o’clock tonight in Chatsworth," anchor Colleen Williams said.

Fire Battalion Chief Rico A. Gross reported that the helicopter was engulfed in flames, spreading to nearby parked vehicles. Witnesses described the descent as abnormal and the ensuing fire as extremely violent.

Mayor Karen Bass called the incident "a heartbreaking night for our city" and expressed sympathy for the families of all five victims, including those killed in the earlier bus crash. Governor Gavin Newsom also issued a statement offering condolences to the victims and the NBC4 staff.

The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration have been notified and will investigate the crash.