LOS ANGELES, California — A night of breaking-news coverage turned into a devastating tr4gedy for the Los Angeles journalism community after an NBC4 news helicopter cr4shed and erupted in flames while its crew was covering another deadly incident in Chatsworth.
Three people lost their l1ves in the helicopter cr4sh on Tuesday evening, September 15, 2026.
NBC4 Los Angeles identified its two colleagues aboard the aircraft as Eliana Moreno, an experienced aerial reporter, and George Marciniw, the helicopter’s veteran pilot.
Both d1ed in the cr4sh.
A third person, who was on the ground when the helicopter came down, was also k1lled. As of the latest official updates, that victim’s identity has not been publicly released.
They were covering another deadly cr4sh
Moreno and Marciniw were working aboard NewsChopper4, an aircraft operated by Angel City Air that provided aerial news coverage for NBC4 Los Angeles and Telemundo 52.
Their assignment that evening was another major emergency unfolding in the Chatsworth area of the San Fernando Valley.
Earlier, an SUV and a Los Angeles Metro bus had collided nearby, leaving multiple victims.
Several television helicopters were flying above the area as journalists reported on that scene.
Then, shortly before 7 p.m., NewsChopper4 suddenly went down.
The helicopter cr4shed between two commercial buildings in the 9100 block of North Mason Avenue.
NBC4 suddenly lost contact with its crew
Inside the NBC4 newsroom, the first indication that something was terribly wrong came when staff members realized they could no longer communicate with the helicopter team.
As reporters prepared to cover the earlier bus collision, they could see a large plume of smoke rising only a few blocks away.
The station eventually learned that the new emergency involved its own aircraft.
NBC4 anchor Colleen Williams later went on the air and confirmed the heartbreaking news: NewsChopper4 had gone down and the station had lost two of its colleagues.
Moreno and Marciniw had been working together in the air since 2023.
A massive fire followed the impact
The helicopter came down near a commercial storage facility.
When Los Angeles firefighters arrived, much of the aircraft was engulfed in flames.
The fire spread across the immediate area, damaging four vehicles and two storage containers before firefighters brought it under control.
More than 70 firefighters responded to the emergency.
Branden Silverman, a Los Angeles Fire Department official, described the helicopter as extensively destroyed by the impact and subsequent fire.
Authorities confirmed three people were pronounced d3ad at the scene.
Moreno and Marciniw were the two victims aboard the helicopter.
The third was a person who had been on the ground.
At least one additional person was transported to a hospital. Early reports differed on the total number evaluated or transported, and authorities were still clarifying those figures Wednesday morning.
Eliana Moreno was a familiar voice above Southern California
For viewers of NBC4 and Telemundo 52, Eliana Moreno was a familiar presence during aerial coverage of breaking stories.
Moreno had been working aboard news helicopters since 2010.
She earned degrees in broadcast journalism and political science from Chapman University and had worked for several media organizations across Southern California before becoming part of the Angel City Air team providing coverage for NBC4 and Telemundo 52.
Her reporting routinely placed her above some of Southern California’s biggest breaking stories.
On Tuesday, she was doing that job when the aircraft went down.
George Marciniw was the veteran pilot beside her
The second crew member was George Marciniw.
Marciniw grew up in Southern California and was a veteran helicopter pilot.
NBC4 reported that he and Moreno began flying together in 2023.
Viewers who regularly followed the station’s aerial reports had heard Moreno refer to George while the two worked together aboard the helicopter.
Tuesday’s assignment would become their final flight.
NBC4 colleagues learned of their d3aths while covering the story
The emotional impact was immediately visible inside NBC4.
The station had initially been reporting on the helicopter cr4sh without publicly confirming that its own crew was involved.
As the situation developed, the newsroom received confirmation that NewsChopper4 was the aircraft that had gone down.
Williams and fellow anchor Carolyn Johnson later identified Moreno and Marciniw and paid tribute to their colleagues.
NBC4 reporter Robert Kovacik, who had been covering the nearby bus cr4sh, saw the black smoke and headed toward the helicopter scene.
Journalists and emergency officials could later be seen consoling one another as the scale of the tr4gedy became clear.
The cause remains unknown
Investigators have not yet announced what caused NewsChopper4 to suddenly lose altitude and cr4sh.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) are investigating.
Investigators are expected to examine the helicopter wreckage, flight information, communications, weather conditions, maintenance history and other evidence before reaching conclusions.
At this stage, there is no official determination that mechanical failure, pilot error or another specific factor caused the cr4sh.
Los Angeles mourns two separate tr4gedies
The helicopter disaster happened only about two hours after the serious Metro bus collision that Moreno and Marciniw had been sent to cover.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass described the night as heartbreaking and expressed condolences to the families affected by both incidents.
Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath also addressed the loss, emphasizing that members of the local news community had arrived to perform their jobs before experiencing a tr4gedy of their own.
Los Angeles City Councilmember John Lee joined officials at the scene as emergency crews continued working late into the night.
For NBC4 and Telemundo 52, however, Tuesday night’s breaking story became deeply personal.
Eliana Moreno went into the air to report the news.
George Marciniw was flying beside her.
Hours later, their own colleagues were forced to announce their d3aths live on television.
The identity of the third person who lost their l1fe on the ground remains pending public notification.
Now, as investigators begin the painstaking work of determining why NewsChopper4 went down, colleagues, viewers and loved ones are mourning Eliana Moreno and George Marciniw — two members of the Los Angeles news community who lost their l1ves while doing their jobs. 🕊️