A local Los Angeles TV news journalist and the pilot of an NBC4 news chopper are among the three people confirmed dead in Tuesday night’s Los Angeles-area helicopter crash.
Journalist Eliana Moreno and pilot George Marciniw were providing news coverage of a deadly bus crash in the L.A. suburb of Chatsworth when their helicopter went down. The third casualty, thought to be a pedestrian on the ground, has not been identified. At least two other people were injured.
This morning, CNN aired video footage taken from the helicopter in its final moments. The footage initially was steadily focused on the vehicle accident on the ground, but the camera then began to shake and an alarm could be heard coming from inside the chopper. CNN reported that the alarm could signal a dangerously low rotor RPM.
Longtime NBCLA/NBC4 news anchor Colleen Williams made the announcement about her station’s own helicopter live on NBC4 just before 9 p.m. Tuesday night. “We can now confirm that the chopper that went down in Chatsworth tonight two hours ago was, in fact, News Chopper 4,” a clearly shaken Williams announced on air.
NBC4 and Telemundo 52 Los Angeles later issued a statement about the accident, saying: “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.”
The chopper crash was first reported to authorities around 7 p.m. Los Angeles Fire Department officials later confirmed that the aircraft went down between two commercial buildings in Chatsworth, leaving at least three people dead.
According to NBC4, Moreno and Marciniw frequently worked together, particularly during the evening news shifts. Often referred as “the eyes and ears in the sky” for NBC4 and Telemundo 52, Moreno and Marciniw logged hundreds of sky hours together since 2023. Among the stories they covered were last year’s L.A. wildfires and numerous police chases.
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