NBC4/KNBC’s NewsChopper4 crashed in Chatsworth, Los Angeles, on Tuesday evening, killing three people as it covered an earlier SUV-versus-Metro bus collision nearby. The helicopter burst into flames after going down in the 9100 block of Mason Avenue, near commercial buildings and emergency crews already at the separate crash scene.
NBC4 confirmed the aircraft was its NewsChopper4, and reports identified reporter Eliana Moreno and pilot George Marciniw among the dead. The Los Angeles Fire Department said one person on the ground was killed and another was taken to hospital in unknown condition. Fire crews extinguished the blaze after it spread to nearby vehicles and storage containers.
The crash is under investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board. It has raised immediate questions about the safety of helicopter operations during breaking-news coverage over active emergency scenes, particularly when multiple incidents are unfolding in close proximity.