New details have emerged following a fatal NBC4 helicopter crash in Chatsworth that burst into flames on Tuesday evening and claimed the lives of three people while the helicopter crew was covering a Metro bus crash that left at least two passengers dead in the same area.
The helicopter crashed between two commercial buildings in the 9100 block of Mason Avenue in the San Fernando Valley at approximately 7 p.m. Initial reports did not immediately confirm which TV station was operating the helicopter.
It was later identified as an NBC4 and Telemundo 52 aircraft, which was providing aerial news coverage on a fatal vehicle collision that occurred earlier in the day when an SUV crashed into a public transit bus, less than a mile away, according to the Los Angeles City Fire Department.
Both incidents prompted a multiagency response from first responders, and the two incidents claimed the lives of at least five people.
Reporter Eliana Moreno, known to viewers as “Eli in the Heli,” and pilot George Marciniw were the two killed onboard of the aircraft, according to media reports. The third person killed on the ground was identified as 29-year-old Edy Gutierrez Mejia, according to the media reports.
A fourth person was transported to a local hospital in unknown condition, according to the L.A. City Fire Department.
Signal staff member Oscar Sol went to the scene of the helicopter crash and recalled rushing over to a witness who was attempting to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation on a bystander who was lying on the ground as explosions went off behind them, he wrote in an account from the scene.
“Los Angeles Police Department squads came into the parking lot and started asking for witnesses or if there were any additional injured,” he added. The facility was a place where people worked on vehicles.
The fatal Metro bus crash, which occurred near the intersection of West Nordhoff Street and De Soto Avenue, killed two passengers and six people were hospitalized, according to the L.A. City Fire Department.
Numerous L.A. city and county leaders have expressed their condolences following both incidents.
“I am shocked and deeply saddened by (Tuesday’s) tragic helicopter crash involving members of the NBC4 family. My heart goes out to everyone affected by this devastating loss, especially the families, friends, and colleagues of those who lost their lives,” L.A. County Supervisor Kathryn Barger said in a prepared statement. “I extend my deepest condolences to the entire NBC4 community during this incredibly difficult time.”
The Metro bus crash is under investigation by the Los Angeles Police Department.
The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration are leading the investigation into the circumstances of the helicopter crash and on Wednesday afternoon held a news conference describing those initial efforts.
NTSB Investigator Fabian Salazar said officials are looking into nearby security footage, searching through the debris, and reviewing the pilot’s training, he said, adding that audio captured during the live broadcast moments before the plane crashed is the most critical information.
“What we’re going to do is get a pristine copy of that recording and send it to our recorder’s lab for a sound spectrum analysis. Because in that recording, we are clearly hearing sounds that are consistent with the engine changing its speed and we’re also hearing tones that are being generated that are likely advisories to the pilots,” he said during the news conference. “It’s importantthat we get those recordings to our lab so that they can be downloaded and we can get the factual evidence that way.”
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