Three people died Tuesday night when an NBC4 and Telemundo 52 news helicopter crashed in Chatsworth, California.
The victims included aerial journalist Eliana Moreno, veteran pilot George Marciniw, and an unidentified person on the ground.
The helicopter was covering an earlier deadly collision between an SUV and a Los Angeles Metro bus nearby.
NewsChopper4 went down shortly before 7 p.m. between two commercial buildings in the 9100 block of North Mason Avenue.
The crash ignited a fire, damaging four vehicles and two storage containers, before firefighters extinguished the flames.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom said his thoughts were with victims, families, first responders, and the entire NBC4 news organization.
“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. Thank you to the first responders working tirelessly tonight,” Newsom wrote on X.
Los Angeles Fire Department officials said the wreckage was so badly destroyed that identifying the aircraft was initially difficult.
“From the helicopter itself, it’s pretty well destroyed,” fire department spokesman Capt. Branden Silverman said at the scene.
Silverman said crews would search wreckage to determine the victim count and confirm the helicopter’s identity.
NBC4 reported Marciniw had more than 30 years of flight experience and also trained aspiring helicopter pilots.
“He was my eyes and ears here in LA,” Jimenez said while remembering his longtime friend and fellow pilot.
Jimenez said he had spoken with Marciniw Sunday about aviation, business and retirement, just two days before the fatal crash.
The crew had covered a Metro bus collision two hours earlier near Nordhoff Street and De Soto Avenue.
Authorities said an SUV slammed into the side of the bus around 5 p.m., leaving multiple people trapped inside.
Early reports said two people died in the bus collision, while later Metro reporting placed the death toll at three.
Six additional people were hospitalized from that earlier crash, and investigators have not publicly determined what caused the collision.
One witness told NBC4 the helicopter appeared to sway strangely just seconds before a plume of smoke became visible.
“He said the helicopter is looking strange,” the witness recalled after her husband, who works in law enforcement, noticed it.
“We noticed that it was swaying. Five seconds later… we saw large smoke,” she told NBC4 after the crash.
WATCH:
BREAKING: An NBC Los Angeles news helicopter crashed during live coverage of a deadly bus crash. The condition of those onboard is unknown. pic.twitter.com/cXMmubKrgq
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) September 16, 2026
NBC4 anchor Colleen Williams later confirmed on live television that her station had lost two colleagues in the disaster.
“We are going to take a couple of minutes to think about that and process it,” Williams said emotionally.
The station briefly ended its live coverage as anchors and reporters struggled to process the deaths of their colleagues.
NBC4 and Telemundo 52 said they were “deeply saddened” and extended condolences to families, friends, and coworkers.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass called the evening devastating after both the bus collision and helicopter crash claimed multiple lives.
“I’m absolutely devastated by the loss of life in Chatsworth tonight,” Bass said following the two deadly incidents.
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna also offered condolences to the families, colleagues and loved ones of those killed.
A person on the ground died, while two others were taken to a hospital after the helicopter crashed.
Authorities had not publicly identified the ground victim Wednesday morning, and officials had not released the hospitalized person’s condition.
The National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration are investigating what caused NewsChopper4 to fall from the sky.
Federal investigators were expected Wednesday to examine the aircraft, flight data, maintenance history and witness accounts.
For NBC4 and Telemundo 52, the crash transformed a breaking-news assignment into an unimaginable newsroom loss.
Investigators now face the difficult task of determining why the helicopter crashed while grieving colleagues honor two respected aviation journalists.
This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
