A news helicopter providing aerial coverage for NBC4 and Telemundo 52 crashed Tuesday evening in Los Angeles, killing the pilot, an aerial photojournalist and one person on the ground, according to authorities.
The helicopter went down shortly before 7 p.m. in a parking lot near a self-storage facility in Chatsworth, a community in the San Fernando Valley, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.
The aircraft was operated by Angel City Air and had been providing aerial news coverage for NBC Los Angeles and Telemundo 52 before contact was lost.
“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, NewsChopper 4 went down just before 7 o’clock tonight in Chatsworth,” NBC4 anchor Colleen Williams said during the station’s coverage.
Williams became emotional as she announced the crash and told viewers the station would take time to process what had happened.
Authorities said three people were pronounced dead at the scene while two others were taken to a hospital. Their conditions were not immediately disclosed.
NBC Los Angeles identified the two people aboard the helicopter as aerial photojournalist Eliana Moreno and pilot George Marciniw, both employees of Angel City Air.
Moreno was born in Orange County and graduated from Chapman University in 2010 with degrees in broadcast journalism and political science, according to NBC Los Angeles. She joined Angel City Air’s helicopter operation that same year and spent years covering breaking news across Southern California.
Marciniw also grew up in Southern California and graduated from Burbank High School.
NBC Los Angeles and Telemundo 52 issued a joint statement mourning the deaths.
“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. “We extend our heartfelt condolences to the families, friends and colleagues of those who lost their lives.”
The helicopter had been covering another deadly incident in Chatsworth involving a Los Angeles Metro bus and an SUV. The collision killed multiple people and sent several others to the hospital, according to the report.
Firefighters were working to free trapped victims and treat passengers when news helicopters arrived to cover the scene.
Witness Zareh Sevanesian said he noticed something appeared wrong with the helicopter shortly before it went down.
“As we were driving I looked over to my left,” Sevanesian said. “I saw the helicopter — something didn’t look right. And I told my wife, ‘That helicopter is not flying right.’”
He said the aircraft appeared to lose altitude before crashing and bursting into flames, according to Trending Politics.
“It was one of the most violent fires I had ever seen,” Sevanesian said.
Los Angeles firefighters and police officers who were already nearby responded to the helicopter crash and found the aircraft engulfed in flames, with fire spreading to nearby vehicles.
The Federal Aviation Administration said it would participate in the investigation, while the National Transportation Safety Board is leading the probe.
The NTSB said Wednesday that it was investigating the Sept. 15 crash of a Eurocopter AS 350 B2 helicopter in Chatsworth.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass called the events “a heartbreaking night for our city,” while California Gov. Gavin Newsom offered condolences to the victims of both the Metro bus collision and the helicopter crash, as well as the NBC4 community.
