3 People Dead After NBC Helicopter Crashes in Los Angeles

After a helicopter affiliated with NBC Los Angeles crashed while covering a fatal bus collision Sept. 15, the photojournalist and pilot on board—identified as Eliana Moreno and George Marciniw, respectively—were killed, the outlet confirmed. The crash also claimed the life of a pedestrian on the ground.

“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,” NBCLA and its sister station Telemundo 52 said in a joint statement. “We extend our heartfelt condolences to the families, friends and colleagues of those who lost their lives.”

The helicopter—operated by Angel City Air—crashed in a parking lot in the San Fernando Valley, according to the L.A. Fire Department. Shortly after, NBCLA anchor Colleen Williams informed viewers that the station had lost contact with those in the aircraft, confirmed to be NewsChopper4.

“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, NewsChopper4 went down just before 7 o’clock tonight in Chatsworth,” Williams said of the incident. “We’re going to take a couple of minutes to think about that, to process and to regroup.”

The helicopter crash occurred between two commercial buildings, the LAFD said, which resulted in a fire that damaged four cars and two storage containers in the area.

While Moreno, Marciniw and a third victim who has yet to be identified were pronounced dead at the scene, two others were taken to the hospital, Fire Battalion Chief Rico A. Gross said at a late-night news conference Sept. 15, per NBC News. 

Photo by HECTOR MATA/AFP via Getty Images

The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration will be opening an investigation into the cause of the helicopter crash, per the outlet.

Marciniw grew up in Southern California and had amassed over 30 years of flying experience before the incident. Often, he would take to his Instagram to mark the end of a successful excursion with Moreno, who graduated from Chapman University with a degree in broadcast journalism and political science in 2010 before joining Angel City Air’s helicopter team that same year to report for multiple news outlets in the area.

“And that’s a wrap for Friday night as the heavy fog rolls in with Eliana Moreno,” he captioned one post, adding in another alongside a picture of the L.A. Dodgers stadium lit up brightly at night, “A few shots Eliana took as we flew over Dodgers after the game. “Go Dodgers.””

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