A Southern California community is mourning after a news helicopter providing aerial coverage of a fatal bus collision crashed Tuesday evening in the San Fernando Valley, leaving three people dead. The Eurocopter AS350, operated by Angel City Air for NBC4 and Telemundo 52, plummeted into a Chatsworth storage facility parking lot in the 9100 block of Mason Avenue shortly before 7 p.m., striking shipping containers and parked vehicles before erupting into flames. Officials confirmed that two news crew members aboard the aircraft—aerial reporter Eliana Moreno and veteran pilot George Marciniw—died in the crash. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner identified a third victim, 29-year-old Edy Gutierrez Mejia, who was killed on the ground.
The aircraft was actively broadcasting live footage of a horrific crash involving an SUV and a city bus when the tragedy unfolded. Moments before the signal cut, audio from the cockpit recorded an alarm sounding and Moreno saying “uh oh” before asking, “You can’t pull up?” Aviation experts suggested the warning horn pointed toward a dangerous loss of engine power and low rotor RPM, leaving the pilot minimal room to maneuver. The impact ignited a intense blaze that consumed four vehicles and two storage units before more than 50 firefighters extinguished the flames. Another individual on the ground suffered injuries and was transported to a local hospital.
The news helicopter crash occurred just a short distance from the initial collision, where a wrong-way driver in a Ford Expedition ran a red light and struck a city bus, resulting in two additional fatalities and multiple injuries. The dual incidents created an unprecedented day of grief for Los Angeles, claiming five lives in total. During live broadcasts, emotional news anchors struggled to process the devastating loss of their colleagues, remembering Moreno and Marciniw as a dedicated team passionate about their work. “I think a lot of us are still trying to process what happened, this terrible loss,” NBC4 reporter Lauren Coronado shared near the scene.
City leaders and fellow journalists across the region expressed deep sorrow over the tragedy. In an official statement, NBC4 and Telemundo 52 expressed that they “are deeply saddened” and extended “heartfelt condolences to the families, friends and colleagues of those who lost their lives”. Reflecting on the heavy toll, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass noted, “Losing five Angelenos is very painful,” adding, “And I know this community of Chatsworth, hit hard, will be grieving for some time”. State officials and neighboring newsrooms also offered condolences and support as first responders secured the site.
Investigators from the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board arrived at the scene Wednesday to begin determining the exact cause of the mechanical failure, while Hazmat teams worked to clean up spilled jet fuel as investigators examined the destroyed wreckage.
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