A routine night of aerial news coverage ended in tragedy Tuesday evening in Chatsworth, where NBC4’s NewsChopper4 crashed into a parking lot and killed two members of the crew — reporter and aerial photojournalist Eliana “Eli” Moreno and pilot George Marciniw — along with one person on the ground.
The helicopter, operated by Angel City Air, had been hovering near Nordhoff Street around 7 p.m. as it covered a separate deadly Metro bus collision. Witnesses said the aircraft began swaying, then dropped suddenly. Within seconds, a large plume of smoke rose from the 9100 block of Mason Avenue.
The impact sparked a major fire. The helicopter and several nearby vehicles were engulfed. Firefighters arriving at the scene found the aircraft so badly destroyed that they initially could not see its tail. Los Angeles Fire Department officials later confirmed three fatalities: the two people aboard and one person on the ground.
A crash while covering another crash
The helicopter had been sent to cover an earlier wreck that unfolded shortly after 5 p.m. near Nordhoff Street and De Soto Avenue. An SUV traveling at what witnesses described as freeway speed slammed into the side of a Metro bus. That collision killed three people and injured several others.
Emergency crews were still working that scene when NewsChopper4 went down nearby — close enough that first responders were already in the area.
One witness told local television that her husband, who works in law enforcement, noticed something wrong in the air. “He said the helicopter is looking strange. We noticed that it was swaying. Five seconds later… we saw large smoke.”
Who was aboard
NBC4 and Telemundo 52 identified the crew as Moreno and Marciniw.
Moreno was a familiar presence to Southern California viewers and known online as “Eli in the Heli.” She worked as a photographer, reporter, and editor from the air, covering police pursuits, brush fires, traffic, and major events. Born in Orange County, she graduated from Chapman University in 2010 with degrees in broadcast journalism and political science and began flying in news helicopters that same year. She later worked at KCAL 9 and KCBS 2 before joining NBC and flying aboard NewsChopper4 around 2018 or 2019. She began flying regularly with Marciniw in 2023.
Away from the newsroom, she was engaged to Robert Barrientos. Friends and her social media posts showed a quieter life as well: she spoke English, Spanish, and French; kept chickens on a small farm; and loved dogs.
Marciniw was a veteran helicopter pilot with more than 14,000 hours in the air. A Southern California native and 1974 Burbank High School graduate, he worked in aerial filming, flight instruction, surveillance, ferrying, and helicopter management. A person who knew him for decades said they had spoken only days earlier about aviation work and retirement.
The station’s grief, and a city in mourning
The crash unfolded while NBC4 was covering the unfolding disaster. Longtime anchor Colleen Williams struggled through live coverage after the station lost contact with its crew. “We have lost contact with our people,” she said on air.
NBC4 and Telemundo 52 later released a joint statement:
“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. We extend our heartfelt condolences to the families, friends, and colleagues of those who lost their lives.”
Mayor Karen Bass visited the scene and called it a devastating day for Los Angeles. She said five Angelenos died across the bus collision and the helicopter crash. Governor Gavin Newsom and local public-safety agencies also issued condolences.
What investigators still don’t know
Officials have not released an official cause. Veteran helicopter pilot and former news reporter Zoey Tur reviewed audio from the incident and said it appeared consistent with an engine failure and a delayed entry into autorotation. That remains an unofficial assessment. Investigators are still seeking answers.
For now, the facts are these: two experienced aerial journalists died doing the job they had done for years — covering breaking news from the sky — and a city is mourning both the people in the helicopter and those killed in the crash they had been sent to cover.