NBC helicopter crashes in Los Angeles

NewsChopper4 was hovering near Nordhoff Street while covering a deadly Metro bus collision when it suddenly lost altitude and plunged to the ground in Chatsworth on Tuesday evening.

Reporter Eliana Moreno identified

Moreno was a veteran aerial reporter known as 'Eli in the Heli' on Instagram. She had been flying in news choppers since 2010, covering police pursuits, brush fires, and major local events from the air.

Pilot George Marciniw had 14,000 hours

Marciniw was a highly experienced pilot who had logged more than 14,000 hours in the helicopter. He was the second victim aboard NewsChopper4.

Third victim was pedestrian Edy Gutierrez

Officials identified the third victim as 29-year-old Edy Gutierrez Mejia, a pedestrian who was outside the helicopter when it crashed. Three people died in total.

Moreno's career in aerial journalism

Moreno graduated from Chapman University in 2010 with degrees in broadcast journalism and political science. She worked for KCAL 9 and KCBS 2 before joining NBC around 2018 or 2019.

NBC expresses condolences to families

NBC4 and Telemundo 52 released a statement saying they were deeply saddened by the fatal accident and extended heartfelt condolences to the families and colleagues of those who lost their lives.

“We are deeply saddened to share that a helicopter providing aerial news coverage for NBC4 and Telemundo 52 was involved in a fatal accident.”