Los Angeles reporter and pilot among 3 dead after news helicopter crashes

CNN

By Karina Tsui, CNN

(CNN) — A reporter and pilot are among three dead after a news helicopter crashed Tuesday night in a Los Angeles suburb while covering a nearby deadly bus collision.

The helicopter, working for stations NBC4 and Telemundo 52, crashed just before 7 p.m. in Chatsworth, a neighborhood about 25 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles, while it was providing aerial news coverage, the stations said late Tuesday.

NBC4 anchor Colleen Williams confirmed live on air that the crash involved its helicopter team, telling viewers, “We are going to take a couple of minutes to think about that, to process and to regroup,” before the station switched temporarily to other programming. Earlier in the evening, Williams said the station had lost contact with its crew.

NBC4 identified the two people in the helicopter as Eliana Moreno, an aerial photojournalist and reporter, and pilot George Marciniw.

“We are deeply saddened to share that a helicopter providing aerial news coverage for NBC4 and Telemundo 52 was involved in a fatal accident in Los Angeles on Tuesday evening,” the stations said in a joint statement. “We extend our heartfelt condolences to the families, friends and colleagues of those who lost their lives.”

The cause of the crash is unknown and an investigation is underway.

Three people were determined dead on the scene of the crash and at least two people were injured and transported to a hospital, officials said in a news conference late Tuesday, without revealing details about the victims’ identities.

Earlier, LAFD Fire Captain Branden Silverman said one of the three deceased was a “pedestrian who was outside, in the parking lot,” adding that the Los Angeles Police Department was involved in pulling that person away from the fire. Authorities have not yet identified the person.

Flying together since 2023

Moreno and Marciniw were employees of Angel City Air, the helicopter’s operator, and began flying together in 2023, according to NBC4. CNN has reached out to Angel City Air.

Born in Orange County, Moreno graduated from Chapman University in 2010 with a degree in broadcast journalism and political science, NBC4 reported. She joined Angel City Air in September 2010, and had reported for several regional outlets since.

Marciniw, who grew up in Southern California, was a 1974 graduate of Burbank High School, north of Los Angeles, NBC4 reported.

Social media accounts of Moreno and Marciniw depicted the two working closely on stories over the years, with both sharing photos together.

“This is a very, very, very tragic day in Los Angeles,” Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said while at the scene, referencing the helicopter crash and the deadly bus collision, which killed two people earlier in the day. “My heart certainly goes out to the family and friends of all of those that we lost.”

California Gov. Gavin Newsom also expressed his condolences, writing in a Facebook post: “Our hearts are with the victims and families of tonight’s devastating Metro bus and helicopter crashes in Chatsworth, and with the entire NBC4 family.”

A probe underway

The National Transportation Safety Board will be leading the investigation into the helicopter crash, Bass said, and an NTSB investigator is expected to arrive at the scene Wednesday morning, the agency told CNN.

The crash, which occurred between two commercial buildings, caused a fire near several vehicles and two large cargo containers, LAFD said in a statement. Videos from the scene showed flames and thick plumes of smoke billowing from the site.

The fire has since been extinguished, LAFD said. Four vehicles and two storage containers were damaged, it added. LAFD’s Capt. Rico Gross said more than 70 firefighters responded to the scene.

Silverman said the helicopter was “pretty well destroyed,” and authorities would have to search through the rubble to determine the helicopter’s identification.

CNN reached out to the Federal Aviation Administration, which is also involved in the probe, according to the fire department. According to FAA records, the aircraft was a Eurocopter AS350 B2 built in 2004 – a popular, single-engine utility helicopter.

“There are serious questions about what happened tonight,” Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Lindsey Horvath said at the Tuesday press conference.

“Tonight is not the time to speculate about those answers, tonight is the time to care for the people who are hurting, to support our first responders and to stand together as a community,” she added.

This story has been updated with additional information.

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CNN’s Josh Campbell, Aaron Cooper, Amanda Jackson, Blake Fogg and Diego Mendoza contributed to this report.