NBC4, Telemundo 52 news helicopter crashes in Los Angeles, killing three

Three people were killed and two others hospitalized after a helicopter providing aerial news coverage for NBC4 and Telemundo 52 crashed Tuesday evening in Los Angeles, California.

The helicopter, which is branded as NewsChopper4, went down shortly before 7 p.m. Sept. 15, 2026, in the 9100 block of North Mason Avenue in the Chatsworth neighborhood.

The aircraft was operated by Angel City Air and was covering a separate crash involving a Metro bus in the west San Fernando Valley when it went down.

Like many newsrooms, KNBC and KVEA contracted with a third-party company to operate their news helicopter. These deals often include provisions for the station to outfit the aircraft with branded livery. 

Angel City Air employees Eliana Moreno and pilot George Marciniw were killed in the crash. Moreno was a familiar voice to NBC4 and Telemundo 52 viewers during aerial news coverage.

In situations where news stations don’t operate their own helicopter, it’s common for the pilot and on-board reporter to be employed by the aircraft operator and not the station but are often still considered, to at least some degree, to be part of the newsroom team. 

A third person on the ground was also killed, according to authorities.

Two additional people were taken to a hospital. Their conditions had not been released.

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The Los Angeles Fire Department said the helicopter crashed between two commercial buildings and caught fire, damaging four vehicles and two storage containers.

“From the helicopter itself, it’s pretty well destroyed,” Los Angeles Fire Department Capt. Brandon Silverman told KNBC. “So we are going to have to go through the rubble and see how many victims there were on board, as well as identify the helicopter; we couldn’t even see a tail.”

Witnesses described seeing the helicopter behaving unusually shortly before the crash.

One witness told NBC4 that she and her husband noticed the helicopter swaying before seeing smoke moments later. Another witness said the aircraft came straight down and erupted in flames after hitting a parking lot.

Moreno, who was born in Orange County, California, graduated from Chapman University in 2010 with degrees in broadcast journalism and political science. She joined Angel City Air’s helicopter team in September 2010 and had reported for several Southern California media outlets.

Marciniw grew up in Southern California and graduated from Burbank High School in 1974. He and Moreno began flying together in 2023.

“We are deeply saddened to share that a helicopter providing aerial news coverage for NBC4 and Telemundo 52 was involved in a fatal accident in Los Angeles on Tuesday evening,” NBC4 and Telemundo 52 said in a statement. “We extend our heartfelt condolences to the families, friends and colleagues of those who lost their lives.”

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and California Gov. Gavin Newsom also issued statements offering condolences to the victims’ families and recognizing first responders.

The National Transportation Safety Board said Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2026, that it is investigating the crash of a Eurocopter AS 350 B2 helicopter and planned to send investigators to the scene.

The Federal Aviation Administration is also expected to participate in the investigation.

Authorities had not determined a cause of the crash.

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