News Helicopter Crashes in Los Angeles, Killing 3
A tragic helicopter crash occurred in Los Angeles when a news helicopter operated by NBC and Telemundo collided with another aircraft while covering a Metro bus incident in teh Chatsworth neighborhood. Three people died on Tuesday evening, including the helicopter’s pilot George Marciniw, who had over 14,000 flight hours, and reporter Eliana Moreno. Another individual on the ground also lost their life. The crash was captured in disturbing footage showing the helicopter circling before losing altitude and crashing into a warehouse area, with the final moments featuring a male and female voice expressing concern as the aircraft descended uncontrollably. Emergency responders arrived quickly, extinguished the flames, and rescued a fourth person who was rushed to the hospital; their condition remains unkown. The incident has prompted an investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board. Officials and authorities expressed condolences and noted the sadness caused by this tragic event.
Three people died after a news chopper crashed on Tuesday night, multiple sources have confirmed.
The Associated Press reported that the helicopter, which was used by the local NBC and Telemundo outlets, crashed shortly before 7 p.m. Pacific Time while it was covering a Los Angeles Metro Bus collision.
KTLA-TV reported that there were numerous helicopters in the air at the time covering the story, although it was unclear whether this was a contributing factor to the KNBC-TV aircraft crashing.
“We are going to take a couple of minutes to think about that, process it,” KNBC reporter Colleen Williams said after announcing the deaths, which included two people in the chopper and one on the ground.
The helicopter went down by a storage facility in the Chatsworth neighborhood of Los Angeles, where the collision between the SUV and the Metro bus killed another three people and injured six more, KNBC reported.
KNBC said that Eliana Moreno and pilot George Marciniw were the fatalities.
NBC Los Angeles identified the occupants of NewsChopper4 as reporter Eliana Moreno and pilot George Marciniw pic.twitter.com/zBCXMrct1K
— Intel Point Alert (@IntelPointAlert) September 16, 2026
Footage from the accident has surfaced online.
The chopper seems to be circling and taking footage normally until the final few seconds when the camera, which was on the bus, begins to zoom out and the camera begins to lose altitude.
“Uh-oh,” a male voice can be heard saying. Shortly thereafter, a female voice can be heard saying the same thing as the engine speeds up and the camera becomes unfocused and shaky.
“Can you — you can’t pull up?” the woman’s voice asks.
Shortly thereafter, the footage ends as the chopper approaches the warehouse.
It can be seen here, but it is disturbing. Viewer discretion is advised.
According to one source, the pilot in the accident had over 14,000 flight hours.
The crew of the KNBC/Telemundo helicopter that went down in Los Angeles.
– George Marciniw (pilot w/ over 14,000 flight hours)
– Eliana Moreno (reporter)Officials have confirmed that both occupants of the helicopter did not survive. RIP ✝️ pic.twitter.com/0IBbRSNNVJ
— Scott M (@EODWX5) September 16, 2026
Firefighters quickly arrived on scene to extinguish the flames and medical teams began extracting people from the helicopter. Three were declared dead on scene, while a fourth was rushed to the hospital.
As of Wednesday morning, the condition of the fourth person, or their identity, was not known.
“We are deeply saddened to 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,” the channel said in a statement.
The copter was operated by Angel City Air, the station said.
“My husband’s in law enforcement,” a witness who saw the crash told the station. “He said the helicopter is looking strange. We noticed that it was swaying. Five seconds later… we saw large smoke.”
“From the helicopter itself, it’s pretty well destroyed,” Los Angeles Fire Department Capt. Brandon Silverman said. “So we are going to have to go through the rubble and see how many victims there were on board, as well as identify the helicopter; we couldn’t even see a tail.”
The National Transportation Safety Board confirmed in a statement that it was “investigating the Sept. 15 crash of a Eurocopter AS 350 B2 helicopter in Chatsworth, California,” but did not go into details as to the cause.
“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,” California Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a statement.
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