Insider Wire exclusive. This report by Wesley Marius was first published by Insider Wire and is republished on ARX TV. Read the original on insiderwire.com.
LOS ANGELES — A helicopter filming a bus crash for NBC Los Angeles plunged into a Chatsworth neighborhood Tuesday evening, killing aerial photojournalist Eliana Moreno, pilot George Marciniw, and one person on the ground. A fourth victim was hospitalized. Moreno was a familiar face on KNBC and Telemundo 52; both stations are owned by Angel City Air, which operated the aircraft.
NBC Los Angeles and Telemundo 52 released a joint statement after the crash.
“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,” the stations said. “We extend our heartfelt condolences to the families, friends and colleagues of those who lost their lives.”
Moreno, an Orange County native, graduated from Chapman University in 2010 with degrees in broadcast journalism and political science before joining Angel City Air that same year. She went on to report for multiple Southern California news outlets. Marciniw also grew up in the region, graduating from Burbank High School, according to NBC Los Angeles.
The helicopter went down about 6:57 p.m. in the 9100 block of North Mason Avenue, in the northwest San Fernando Valley, the Los Angeles Fire Department said. Fifty-six firefighters responded and extinguished a fire touched off by the crash.
The Fire Department said four people were assessed at the scene. Three were pronounced dead there, and a fourth was taken to a local hospital in unknown condition.
Initial reports said two crew members were aboard the helicopter. One of the three people killed was on the ground, officials said.
The aircraft was operating for NBC and was transmitting a live shot of a bus crash elsewhere in the city when it went down, according to the network.
No structures were damaged, the Fire Department said. Four vehicles and two storage containers were burned.
The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration will lead the investigation, the Fire Department said. The Los Angeles Police Department logged the crash as incident No. 4127.
The cause of the crash was not immediately known.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
This report first appeared on Insider Wire on September 15, 2026. Read the original at insiderwire.com.
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