A helicopter reporting for a local NBC affiliate crashed and caught fire Tuesday evening in Chatsworth, California, resulting in three fatalities, including the reporter, the pilot, and a bystander on the ground. The crash occurred around 7 p.m. while the helicopter was covering a major traffic collision. Federal authorities have launched an investigation into the cause of the accident.
The helicopter, operated by Angel City Air, a vendor providing aircraft and personnel to news stations, carried reporter Eliana Moreno and pilot George Marciniw. Both were employees of Angel City Air. The incident adds to the long history and risks associated with aerial news coverage in Los Angeles, where helicopters are routinely deployed to report on incidents such as car accidents, wildfires, and public events across the sprawling metropolitan area.
News helicopters have been a staple of Southern California’s media landscape for decades. They played a prominent role during the 1992 Los Angeles riots, notably covering the attack on trucker Reginald Denny, and were widely seen in 1994 during the high-profile O.J. Simpson police chase. Despite their utility in providing live images from above, helicopter crews face persistent hazards including mechanical failures, pilot error, bird strikes, and increasingly, drone interference.
While air travel is statistically safer than driving, several high-profile helicopter accidents have underscored the potential dangers. Among these, the 2020 crash that killed basketball star Kobe Bryant along with eight others highlighted the risk involved in helicopter aviation. Federal records show at least eight fatal news helicopter crashes nationwide since 2000, resulting in 16 deaths. In Los Angeles, a 2000 crash during Academy Awards coverage at Van Nuys Airport seriously injured two people.
Veteran reporters and pilots in the Los Angeles aerial news community expressed deep sorrow following the crash. Matt Shaw, a CBS Los Angeles reporter and pilot who has worked in traffic and news aviation for over a decade, described the incident as a shock felt across the tight-knit group of helicopter journalists. Shaw knew Moreno and Marciniw personally from years of covering breaking news from the skies.
The crash was partially captured live from inside NewsChopper4. Audio recorded before the crash conveyed growing alarm, with the engine apparently winding down and a warning horn sounding as the helicopter attempted to climb. Eyewitnesses and veteran helicopter news crews familiar with engine failure surmised that the aircraft’s turbine engine had shut down unexpectedly.
Shaw recounted the emotional toll the tragedy has taken on colleagues and loved ones. “Heartbreaking doesn’t begin to describe it,” he said. In the hours after the crash, Shaw focused on continuing his reporting and responding to a flood of messages from others in the news community and family checking on his wellbeing. “Honestly? No. But I’m alive,” Shaw stated.
The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board are currently examining the wreckage and reviewing data to determine what caused the helicopter to lose power and crash. Authorities have not yet released further details as the investigation remains active. The incident underscores the continuing risks facing aerial news crews as they work to provide real-time coverage in the dynamic and often dangerous environment above Los Angeles.