Full Breakdown
Helicopter Crash Over Chatsworth: NTSB Preliminary Findings
By Drooid · · How we work
Incident Overview
On September 15, 2026, a news-gathering helicopter operated by Angel City Air crashed in the Chatsworth neighborhood of Los Angeles, killing reporter Eliana Moreno, pilot George Marciniw and pedestrian Edy Gutierrez Mejia. The Airbus (formerly Eurocopter) AS-350 B2 was covering a separate fatal Metro-bus collision when it descended rapidly and struck a metal storage container, igniting a post-impact fire.
Flight Background & Context
The helicopter departed Whiteman Airport in Pacoima at about 5:24 p.m. and flew roughly nine miles west to the scene of a vehicle-bus crash at Nordhoff Street and De Soto Avenue. The bus crash, caused by a 2004 Ford Expedition running a red light, had already claimed two passengers. Angel City Air’s crew hovered for about an hour to capture aerial video for NBC 4 and Telemundo 52.
Flight Data and Final Moments
- Altitude & Speed: In the final minute the aircraft was about 800 ft above ground, flying at roughly 6 knots ground speed (? 7 mph).
- Descent: ADS-B tracking showed a rapid descent while turning right, with the last data point indicating a ground speed of about 38 knots (? 44 mph).
- Audio Evidence: Onboard video recorded a four-minute, 21-second segment. For most of the clip rotor and engine noise were normal; in the last 29 seconds the recording captured a change in frequency and intermittent warning horns consistent with main-rotor high-RPM and low-RPM advisories.
- Impact: Security cameras captured the helicopter striking a metal storage container, after which a fire erupted. Investigators documented a debris field extending roughly 30 feet; major components remained attached, though the fuselage was largely reduced to ash and thermally damaged metal.
Official Statements & Responses
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) emphasized that the preliminary report does not assign a cause and that a final determination may take up to a year. The agency noted that the audio and flight-tracking data will guide the investigation. NBC 4 anchor Colleen Williams confirmed loss of contact with the crew and described the event as a “terrible loss” for the station and its viewers.
Verbatim Quotes
- “I am not convinced that the guy was not in a height velocity problem, and I think that the fact that his ground speed was a mere 6 knots suggested he did not have that part of the kinetic energy that he needed to make a successful autorotation from where he was,” — Jack Cress
- “They spend a lot of time in areas where the helicopter pilots are told not to be,” — Jack Cress
- “We've been telling you that we've been piecing it together here. We knew it was a news chopper, we knew we'd lost contact with our people out there, and we just received the confirmation that, in fact, NewsChopper4 went down just before 7 o'clock tonight in Chatsworth,” — Colleen Williams
What’s Next
The NTSB has moved the wreckage to a secure facility in Arizona for detailed examination. A final report, including a probable-cause determination, is not expected until at least 12 months after the preliminary release on October 6, 2026.