A NewsChopper 4 helicopter operated by NBC4 Los Angeles crashed in Chatsworth, Los Angeles, on Tuesday evening at 6:58 p.m., killing three people and injuring a fourth. Audio from the aircraft captured a passenger’s frantic question, “What? You can’t pull up?” just seconds before the rotorcraft went down between two commercial buildings.
The helicopter was hovering to film the aftermath of a fatal bus collision that had occurred earlier that day, in which a city bus struck an SUV, killing two and injuring six. The crew on board included pilot George Marciniw and aerial photojournalist Eliana Moreno, both employees of Angel City Air, a company affiliated with NBC’s Los Angeles station. A fourth person was killed outside in a nearby parking lot; that individual has not yet been identified.
NBC4 and its sister station Telemundo 52 released a joint statement expressing deep sorrow and offering condolences to the families of the victims. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and California Governor Gavin Newsom also issued statements of sympathy and thanked emergency responders for their swift action. The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration have been notified and will investigate the crash.
Eyewitness Zareh Sevanesian described seeing the helicopter’s erratic descent while driving nearby and later arriving at the scene to find a blaze that he called “one of the most violent fires I had ever seen.” Seventy firefighters responded to the site, extinguishing the fire and securing the area. The incident has prompted a review of helicopter safety protocols in the Los Angeles region.
