Three Killed in Chatsworth News Helicopter Crash

CHATSWORTH, CA – Three people were killed Tuesday evening when a television news helicopter crashed in Chatsworth while covering a fatal collision involving a Metro bus. The aircraft went down shortly before 7 p.m. near 9151 N. Mason Ave., about two hours after the earlier roadway crash.

The dead included aerial journalist Eliana Moreno, pilot George Marciniw and a person who was on the ground. Moreno and Marciniw worked for Angel City Air, which operated NewsChopper4 for NBC4 and Telemundo 52. The third victim had not been publicly identified by Wednesday morning.

Two additional people were hospitalized, according to updated casualty reports. Their conditions were not released. Officials had not clarified how those patients were injured or whether either had been inside the helicopter.

News Helicopter Crash Sparked Fire on Nearby Businesses

The helicopter came down between commercial buildings and ignited a fire in a parking and storage area. Firefighters kept the flames from spreading into the structures, but four vehicles and two storage containers were damaged.

The Los Angeles Fire Department said 56 firefighters responded and extinguished the fire. Crews assessed four patients at the scene, where three people were pronounced dead and one person was initially listed as transported in unknown condition. Later reporting added a second hospitalized patient.

Moreno had joined the station’s aerial reporting team in 2010 and began flying with Marciniw in 2023. The helicopter was providing live coverage of the nearby bus collision when the station lost contact with the crew, according to the crew identification.

The station described Moreno as both an aerial reporter and photojournalist. Marciniw was the flight’s pilot. Their employer, Angel City Air, supplied the aircraft and crew for the stations’ news operations, but the company had not released a statement addressing the crash or the helicopter’s condition before the flight ended.

Federal Investigation in Eliana Moreno’s Helicopter Crash

The National Transportation Safety Board took the lead in investigating the crash, with the Federal Aviation Administration also assigned to the inquiry. Investigators were expected to arrive Wednesday to begin documenting the aircraft and the site.

Neither agency had announced a preliminary cause. Angel City Air had not issued a public explanation, and officials had not reported an emergency call from the aircraft before it went down. The investigation remained focused on establishing the sequence that led from the helicopter’s coverage flight to the impact and fire.

Federal investigators were expected to examine the wreckage at the commercial property after firefighters made the area safe. The first official update did not identify the helicopter model, describe the weather at the time or indicate whether the crew had reported a mechanical problem.