Reporter, Pilot In News Chopper Crash Mourned As Cockpit Alarm Heard Seconds Before Crash Offers Clue

LOS ANGELES, CA — The reporter and pilot killed when an NBC Los Angeles news helicopter crashed in Chatsworth Tuesday night have been identified as federal investigators begin investigating what caused the aircraft to plummet near the scene of another deadly crash.

Reporter Eliana Moreno and pilot George Marciniw were aboard NewsChopper4 when it crashed shortly before 7 p.m. Tuesday between two commercial buildings near Mason Avenue and Nordhoff Street, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.

A third person was killed on the ground, and two other people on the ground were injured, fire officials said. Authorities have not publicly identified the third person killed.

The National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration are expected to have investigators at the scene Wednesday to begin investigating the cause of the crash.

Alarm Hints At Possible Cause Of Crash

The helicopter had been covering a deadly collision involving an SUV and a Metro bus near Nordhoff Street and De Soto Avenue when it crashed.

Video transmitted from the helicopter just seconds before the crash included an audible cockpit alarm. Aviation safety expert Jeff Guzzetti said the sound appeared consistent with a low-rotor RPM warning, which can indicate that a helicopter’s main rotor is not spinning fast enough to keep the aircraft in the air.

Guzzetti, a former National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration crash investigator, said the pilot appeared to be trying to do an autorotation maneuver to use the wind to get the rotor moving, so he could help cushion the impact. But there would have been little opportunity to do that because the helicopter had been hovering at a low altitude beforehand.

As of Wednesday morning, investigators have not determined what caused the crash.

The helicopter burst into flames after going down, damaging four vehicles and two storage containers before firefighters extinguished the blaze, according to the LAFD.

Arrest Expected In Bus Collision

The bus collision that Moreno and Marciniw were covering happened shortly after 5 p.m. Tuesday when an SUV traveling southbound on De Soto Avenue struck an eastbound Metro Line 166 bus, according to Metro.

Two people died at the scene and six others were taken to hospitals, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. An earlier report that a third person had died was incorrect; Metro said Wednesday that the SUV driver survived and was hospitalized.

The Los Angeles Police Department told NBC Los Angeles that the SUV driver is expected to be arrested on suspicion of murder after she is released from the hospital. Police suspect reckless driving, running a red light and possible DUI played a role in the collision, the station reported.

Both crashes remain under investigation.

Helicopter Crash Victims Remembered

Moreno and Marciniw worked for Angel City Air, which owns and operates the helicopter and provides aerial news coverage for NBC4 and Telemundo 52.

“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 in a statement. “We extend our heartfelt condolences to the families, friends and colleagues of those who lost their lives.”

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A post shared by Eliana Moreno (@eli_in_the_heli)

Moreno, an Orange County native, graduated from Chapman University in 2010. She joined Angel City Air’s helicopter team in that year and reported for several Southern California news outlets, NBC Los Angeles reported. She was known to viewers as the voice providing aerial coverage of pursuits, wildfires and breaking news.

Moreno went by “Eli in the heli” on Instagram, where she frequently posted about her love for her work and where she celebrated her engagement last year.

Marciniw grew up in Southern California and graduated from Burbank High School in 1974. He had more than 30 years of flying experience and also worked as a flight instructor.

The two had flown together since 2023.

Fellow helicopter pilot Esteban Jimenez told NBC Los Angeles that Marciniw had once been his flight instructor and was nearing retirement.

Material from City News Service and the Associated Press was used in this report.

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