2026 Chatsworth Eurocopter AS350 crash
 | The topic of this article may not meet Wikipedia's notability guideline for events. (September 2026) |
 The NTSB crew investigating the wreckage | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | September 15, 2026 |
| Summary | Under investigation |
| Site | |
 | |
| Total fatalities | 3[a] |
| Total injuries | 2[2][b] |
| Aircraft | |
,_Germany_PP1215885660.jpg){kind=spacer} A Eurocopter AS350 similar to the one involved | |
| Aircraft type | Eurocopter AS350 B2 Écureuil |
| Aircraft name | NewsChopper4 |
| Operator | Angel City Air (on behalf of KNBC) |
| Registration | N358TV[3] |
| Occupants | 2 |
| Passengers | 1 |
| Crew | 1 |
| Fatalities | 2 |
| Survivors | 0 |
| Ground casualties | |
| Ground fatalities | 1 |
| Ground injuries | 2[2] |
On September 15, 2026, a Eurocopter AS350 Écureuil, owned by KNBC/KVEA of Los Angeles, California,[4] crashed while covering a fatal bus crash in Chatsworth.[2] Two people onboard were killed along with one person on the ground.[2] The cause of the crash is under investigation.
Background
[edit]KNBC is the NBC-owned-and-operated television station for Los Angeles County, along with its local Spanish-language sister station, KVEA, operated by NBC-owned Telemundo. The helicopter involved in the crash was operated by Angel City Air.[2]
The helicopter had been covering a bus crash between a 2004 Ford Expedition SUV and a Los Angeles Metro bus running on line 166, in which two people were killed and six others were injured. The SUV had plowed into the driver's side of the bus near the midsection at very high speed, far above the speed limit of 40 miles per hour (64 km/h), running a red light in the process.[5] The SUV driver was reported to have been driving under the influence when the crash occurred,[6] and was subsequently arrested and charged with second-degree murder; bail was set at $4 million.[7][8]
Crash
[edit]At around 7 pm PDT, the helicopter reportedly lost contact with KNBC, and the engine lost power.[9][10][11] An audio recording from the helicopter indicated that it had low RPM,[12] although there was fuel onboard when it crashed.[13] The helicopter came down at the 9100 block of North Mason Avenue, next to or on the site of a self-storage facility.[2][14]
An investigation into the crash was initiated by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).[15]
Victims
[edit]KNBC journalist Eliana Moreno, who covered news from NewsChopper4, was a victim of the crash, alongside pilot George Marciniw.[10] Moreno had been in the air with Angel City Air since 2010 and was engaged to be married. Prior to the crash, Marciniw had been planning to retire.[16][17][18] A 29-year-old tourist from Cuilapa, Guatemala, who had arrived in Los Angeles earlier that day, was killed on the ground.[10][19]
Aftermath
[edit]Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and Governor of California Gavin Newsom offered condolences to the families of the victims of both the bus and helicopter crashes.[15]
See also
[edit]Notes
[edit]References
[edit]- ↑ "News helicopter crashes in Los Angeles, killing 3". FlightRadar24. Retrieved September 17, 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Lloyd, Jonathan; Rendon, Karla (September 15, 2026). "3 dead after helicopter providing coverage for NBCLA, Telemundo 52 crashes in Los Angeles". NBC Los Angeles.
- ↑ "FAA Registry (N358TV)". Federal Aviation Administration.
- ↑ "L'hélicoptère d'une chaîne de télévision s'écrase alors qu'il couvrait un accident de la route à Los Angeles". Libération (in French). September 16, 2026. Archived from the original on September 21, 2026. Retrieved September 21, 2026.
- ↑ "2 dead, 6 others injured after SUV runs red light, crashes into Metro bus in San Fernando Valley, LAPD says". CBS News. September 16, 2026. Retrieved September 17, 2026.
- ↑ "Woman was high when she plowed her SUV into a Metro bus, killing 2, prosecutors say". Los Angeles Times. September 17, 2026. Retrieved September 18, 2026.
- ↑ "SUV driver who slammed into bus in Chatsworth charged with 2nd degree murder, was driving high: DA". ABC7. September 18, 2026. Retrieved September 18, 2026.
- ↑ "SUV driver arrested after slamming into LA Metro bus before NBC4 helicopter crashed". KCRA. September 17, 2026. Retrieved September 18, 2026.
- ↑ "'We've lost contact': NBC4 covers its own helicopter tragedy with grief, purpose". Los Angeles Times. September 16, 2026. Retrieved September 16, 2026.
- 1 2 3 Karina Tsui; Andy Rose (September 16, 2026). "Los Angeles reporter and pilot among 3 dead after news helicopter crashes". CNN. Retrieved September 16, 2026.
- ↑ "Audio captures tragic final moments of NBC News helicopter before fatal crash". The Independent. September 16, 2026. Retrieved September 21, 2026.
- ↑ "Los Angeles helicopter crash: Footage from NBC4 helicopter before crash is 'most important evidence' to analyze, NTSB says | abc7.com". abc7.com. Retrieved September 21, 2026.
- ↑ "Dramatic recording could help answer why NBC4 helicopter crashed". Los Angeles Times. September 17, 2026. Retrieved September 18, 2026.
- ↑ Betz, Bradford (September 17, 2026). "Dashcam video captures NBC Telemundo helicopter crash in Chatsworth". Fox News. Retrieved September 21, 2026.
- 1 2 "Journalist Eliana Moreno and pilot George Marciniw among three killed in Los Angeles news helicopter crash". BBC News. September 16, 2026. Retrieved September 22, 2026.
- ↑ "3 dead after news helicopter reporting for NBC Los Angeles crashes while covering fatal bus collision". NBC News. September 16, 2026. Retrieved September 16, 2026.
- ↑ Fiset, Jocelyn; Yost, Chip (September 16, 2026). "Reporter killed in L.A. news helicopter crash was 'ray of sunshine', colleague says". KTLA. Retrieved September 16, 2026.
- ↑ Faheid, Dalia (September 17, 2026). "An engaged reporter, a soon-to-retire pilot and a young tourist: What we know about the L.A. helicopter crash victims". CNN. Retrieved September 17, 2026.
- ↑ Rendon, Karla (September 16, 2026). "3rd victim in LA news helicopter crash identified as 29-year-old man". KNBC. Retrieved September 17, 2026.