Chatsworth helicopter crash kills three, NTSB investigating
Three people died when a local television news helicopter crashed Tuesday night in Chatsworth while covering a Metro bus crash that killed two bus passengers in the same area, and the NTSB is investigating. Reporter Eliana Moreno and pilot George Marciniw are being mourned by colleagues at KNBC NBC4 in Los Angeles and across the area’s journalism community.
The helicopter was providing live aerial coverage of a fatal collision involving an SUV and a Metro bus for NBC4 and Telemundo 52 when it fell from the sky just before 7 p.m., crashing between two commercial buildings at 9151 N. Mason Ave.
The blaring sound of a warning could be heard as the camera angle started to descend. “You can’t pull up?” Moreno asks Marciniw. The camera starts shaking, and then the signal cuts out.
The explosion caused several nearby vehicles and storage containers to erupt in flames.
“NTSB is investigating the Sept. 15 crash of a Eurocopter AS 350 B2 helicopter in Chatsworth, California,” the agency posted at 2:49 a.m. Wednesday.
At Wednesday’s press conference, investigator-in-charge Fabian Salazar said investigators will be on scene “pretty much all day” gathering evidence, including witness statements. A preliminary report on the crash will be issued within 30 days, Salazar said. A report determining the final cause could take up to 18 months to be released.
A witness at the scene told KTLA her husband noticed something unusual about the helicopter before it went down. “I didn’t see it, but my husband did. He did say that it was swaying,” Allyona Sevanesian said. “And then immediately after, it was the cloud of smoke.”
In a statement posted on its website, NBC4 and Telemundo 52 said: “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. We extend our heartfelt condolences to the families, friends and colleagues of those who lost their lives.”
Moreno and Marciniw were both employees of Angel City Air, which also owns and operates KTLA’s Sky5. Both Southern California natives, they began flying together in 2023, NBC Los Angeles said.
Marciniw was a 1974 graduate of Burbank High School, and Moreno graduated from Chapman University in 2010, earning a degree in broadcast journalism and political science, according to NBC4.
The third victim killed Tuesday night was reportedly not on the aircraft but was on the ground in a business parking lot in the area where the chopper crashed. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office has identified him as Edy Gutierrez Mejia, 29.
Mayor Karen Bass said during a Tuesday news conference that it was a “very, very, very tragic day in Los Angeles.” She continued, “Our hearts are with those impacted by the bus collision and the helicopter crash, and with the entire community who lost members of their team while they were doing their job.”
Anyone with information about the crash is asked to come forward by emailing [email protected].
