Full Breakdown
Tragic Los Angeles News Helicopter Crash While Covering Bus Collision
By Drooid · · How we work
Incident Overview
On September 15, 2026, a news helicopter operated by Angel City Air and affiliated with NBC Los Angeles and Telemundo 52 crashed just before 7 p.m. in the Chatsworth neighborhood of the San Fernando Valley. The aircraft went down between two commercial buildings on the 9100 block of N. Mason Avenue, igniting a fire that engulfed nearby vehicles and storage containers. Fire officials confirmed three fatalities: the pilot, the aerial reporter, and a pedestrian on the ground. Two additional people were transported to a hospital; their conditions were not immediately released.
Related Bus Collision
Earlier that afternoon, an SUV struck a Metro bus on Nordhoff Street near De Soto Avenue, killing at least two bus occupants and injuring six. The helicopter was among several news aircraft covering that crash when it descended and impacted the parking lot adjacent to the bus-scene location.
Victims Identified
The crew members killed were Eliana Moreno, aerial reporter for NBC Los Angeles/Telemundo 52, and George Marciniw, the pilot. Both were employees of Angel City Air.
Response from Authorities
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass called the night “absolutely devastating” and expressed sorrow for the families of the five Angelenos who died in the combined incidents. The Los Angeles Fire Department dispatched more than 70 firefighters and extinguished the blaze by about 8 p.m. LAFD Capt. Branden Silverman said the helicopter was “pretty well destroyed” and that investigators would need to sift through the wreckage.
On-the-Ground Accounts
Witness Zareh Sevanesian reported, “I saw the helicopter — something didn’t look right. And I told my wife, ‘That helicopter is not flying right.’”
Investigation and Safety Context
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will lead a joint investigation, with personnel expected on the scene the following day. Federal accident records show at least eight fatal news-helicopter crashes in the United States since 2000, resulting in 16 deaths.
Data & Statistics
- Fatalities: 3 (pilot, reporter, pedestrian)
- Injured: 2 (hospitalized, conditions unknown)
- Firefighters responding: >70
- Vehicles damaged: 4 cars and 2 storage containers
- Time of crash: just before 7 p.m. (?6:57 p.m.)
- Bus collision casualties: 2 dead, 6 injured
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
The identities of the two crew members have been confirmed, but the third ground victim remains unidentified. The condition of the two hospitalized individuals has not been released.
Verbatim Quotes
- “We’re going to take a couple of minutes to think about that, to process and to regroup,” — Colleen Williams, NBC News anchor
- “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,” — Gov. Gavin Newsom, California governor