Los Angeles news helicopter crash kills 3, including NBC4 reporter and pilot
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Federal investigators are examining what caused NewsChopper4 to crash in Chatsworth while covering another fatal collision.
Three people were killed and two others were hospitalized after a television news helicopter crashed in Chatsworth, California, while covering another deadly crash nearby.
The helicopter went down shortly before 7 p.m. Tuesday in the 9100 block of North Mason Avenue, between two commercial buildings, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.
NBC Los Angeles identified the aircraft as NewsChopper4, a Eurocopter AS350 operated by Angel City Air and used to provide aerial coverage for NBC4 and Telemundo 52.
Reporter Eliana Moreno and pilot George Marciniw were aboard the helicopter and were killed. Authorities said a third victim, 29-year-old Edy Gutierrez Mejia, was on the ground when the aircraft crashed. Mejia had recently arrived from Guatemala and was visiting Los Angeles.
Two other people were taken to a hospital. Their conditions had not been publicly released as of Wednesday.
The helicopter was covering a separate collision involving a Metro bus and an SUV in Chatsworth. That earlier crash killed two people and injured six others.
Witnesses told NBC Los Angeles the helicopter appeared to sway before losing altitude and crashing into a parking lot, where it burst into flames. Four vehicles and two storage containers were damaged in the fire.
The Federal Aviation Administration said the aircraft was destroyed in the crash. The National Transportation Safety Board has opened an investigation and said video and audio recorded during the live news coverage could be important evidence.
NTSB investigator Fabian Salazar said investigators want an original copy of the recording so it can be analyzed for sounds from the cockpit and other details that could help establish what happened before the crash.
The cause has not been determined. A preliminary NTSB report is expected within about 30 days, while a final investigation could take months.
The crash has prompted tributes for Moreno and Marciniw from colleagues and viewers across Southern California. NBC4 and Telemundo 52 said they were mourning the loss of the two crew members and expressed condolences to all of the families affected.