TV news helicopter crashes near deadly L.A. bus collision, 3 killed

LOS ANGELES ( KTLA ) — A local helicopter news reporter and pilot who died in a tragic crash while covering a fatal L.A. Metro bus collision Tuesday in Chatsworth have been identified.

NBC4 and Telemundo reporter Eliana Moreno and pilot George Marciniw were over the scene, in which the driver of an SUV slammed into an L.A. Metro bus , killing three people and hospitalizing six others, when their helicopter crashed.

The bus collision occurred at about 5 p.m. at the intersection of West Nordhoff Street and De Soto Avenue, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. Dozens of firefighters and law enforcement personnel responded to the scene.

LAFD officials said the helicopter went down just before 7 p.m. between two commercial buildings at 9151 N. Mason Ave., with the explosion causing several nearby vehicles and storage containers to erupt in flames.

Firefighters initiated an offensive attack on the blaze and were able to extinguish the flames, while paramedics began pulling victims out of the aircraft for medical triage, fire officials said.

Moreno and Marciniw were killed in the crash, along with another unidentified victim. A lone survivor was rushed to the hospital in unknown condition. Preliminary, though unconfirmed reports, one of the deceased was not on the aircraft but in the area of the crash.

According to Sky5 reporter Gil Leyvas, multiple police and news helicopters, including KTLA’s Sky5, were over the scene of the bus collision at the time the chopper went down.

Aerial footage from the bus crash captured people suddenly running from the scene, along with police cruisers and firefighters speeding toward a fiery explosion just blocks away.

In the moments after the helicopter crash, it was not immediately clear whether the aircraft was a news or police chopper, though multiple local news sources, including the Los Angeles Times , reported that NBC4 had lost contact with its helicopter crew.

Just after 9 p.m., NBC4 confirmed on air that it was the station’s NewsChopper4 that crashed.

Both Southern California natives, Moreno and Marciniw began flying together in 2023, according to NBC Los Angeles.

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, the same company that owns and operates KTLA’s Sky5.

In response to the dual tragedies, which occurred less than a quarter-mile apart, L.A. Mayor Karen Bass said, “I’m absolutely devastated by the loss of life in Chatsworth tonight. My heart is with the families and loved ones of those we lost in the tragic bus collision and helicopter crash.”

California Gov. Gavin Newsom also weighed in, saying, “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.”

Officials with the National Transportation Safety Board are leading the investigation into the crash.

“An NTSB investigator is expected to arrive on scene tomorrow morning,” the federal agency said in a statement to KTLA. “We continue to gather information at this time.”