NewsChopper4's Fatal Crash Over the Story It Was Covering

A news helicopter covering a fatal bus crash became a second fatal crash of its own, going down in a parking lot in Chatsworth and killing everyone aboard along with a person on the ground.

Covering One Story, Becoming Another

NewsChopper4, operated by Angel City Air under contract to NBC Los Angeles and Telemundo 52, was airborne over the San Fernando Valley community of Chatsworth just before 7 p.m. on September 15, 2026, reporting on a Metro bus collision that had already killed people on the ground that day. The helicopter crashed into a parking lot near a self-storage facility in the same area it was covering.

Three Dead

The pilot, George Marciniw, and aerial photojournalist Eliana Moreno — both Angel City Air employees — were killed in the crash. A third person, identified as Edy Gutierrez Mejia, 29, was killed on the ground where the helicopter came down.

Two Fatal Events, One Location

The proximity of this crash to the bus collision it was covering is a coincidence of geography and assignment, not a causal link — nothing in reporting to date connects the two beyond the helicopter having been sent to cover the first incident when the second one happened. That the same stretch of Chatsworth produced two unrelated fatal events within the same news cycle is a grim coincidence, not evidence that one caused the other.

Investigation Status

The cause of the crash is under investigation. As of this writing — days after the accident — no preliminary findings on what brought the helicopter down have been made public. Electronic newsgathering helicopters fly in some of the more demanding low-altitude environments in aviation: orbiting tightly over a fixed point, often at the specific request of a story, sometimes for extended periods, in whatever weather and light conditions the assignment happens to fall in. Investigators will look at all of the standard categories for a helicopter accident — mechanical, weather, and pilot workload among them — but nothing in public reporting yet points to one over the others.

This reconstruction was researched from official investigation records where they exist, the original air traffic control recording, and contemporary reporting. The aircraft movement, timeline and written account were assembled independently by Flight Follower. Where an investigation is open or no probable cause has been published, the account says so rather than offering one.

Timeline

Accident Facts

Sources

• NBC News, "3 dead after news helicopter reporting for NBC Los Angeles crashes while covering fatal bus collision"
• NBC Los Angeles, "3 dead after helicopter providing coverage for NBCLA, Telemundo 52 crashes in Los Angeles"
• The Hollywood Reporter, "NBC4 Helicopter Crash in L.A. Leaves at Least 3 Dead, Authorities Say"