Two of the three people killed in an NBC4 Los Angeles news helicopter crash have been named.
The aircraft burst into flames after it plunged to the ground in Chatsworth, a suburban neighborhood, at around 7 p.m Tuesday. The news team had been covering a separate accident involving a Metro bus and a passenger vehicle at the time.
Anchors on NBC 4 Los Angeles confirmed that the two occupants of the helicopter were pilot George Marciniw and reporter Eliana Moreno, who presented coverage both on the television station and on Telemundo 52.
"We lost two incredible NBC LA colleagues today after a helicopter crashed in Chatsworth while on assignment. We are hurting" NBC 4 Los Angeles reporter Camilla Rambaldi said on Facebook.
The third victim, whom officials with the Los Angeles Fire Department say was not in the helicopter, has not yet been named.
Eliana Moreno shared her love of journalism with fans
Moreno had built up a following on Instagram under the handle “@eli in the heli,” where she shared stories about her aerial reporting.
According to her LinkedIn profile, she wanted to be a television news reporter since the age of eleven. Moreno would go on to graduate from Chapman University with bachelor’s degrees in broadcast journalism and political science.
Moreno reported both in English and Spanish for outlets in Orange County before joining Angel City Air, which operated the now-crashed helicopter, in 2010. She was also a guest speaker at high schools and colleges to share her knowledge about the journalistic industry with aspiring reporters.
In a tribute published in Spanish, Telemundo 52 described her as a “marvellous human.”
The station described her as the “best reporter in the helicopter in all of Los Angeles, without a doubt.”
In October last year, Moreno announced on Facebook that she had gotten engaged to her partner Robert Barrientos with a photo showing the pair beaming while holding three dogs.
George Marciniw was a veteran helicopter pilot
Marciniw was raised in Southern California and graduated from Burbank High School back in 1974, his NBC 4 Los Angeles colleagues said.
The pilot began flying with Moreno in 2023, with Marciniw regularly posting about their experiences on his Facebook page.
Marciniw often shared photographs taken while flying the helicopter, joking in one caption: “Just a typical day in the office.”
On his iFlightPlanner profile, Marciniw shared that he had spent more than 14,000 hours flying helicopters and that he had worked as a helicopter flight instructor for over 30 years.
NBC4 and Telemundo 52 Los Angeles paid tribute to both him and Moreno in a statement released on social media.
“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 statement read.
“We extend our heartfelt condolences to the families, friends and colleagues of those who lost their lives.”
The crash came as Moreno and Marciniw covered a separate accident
The helicopter crashed in a parking lot near a self-storage community at around 7 p.m. Fire Battalion Chief Rico A. Gross confirmed at a news conference that two others were taken to hospital following the crash, in addition to the three deaths.
The aircraft was covering a crash involving a passenger vehicle and a Los Angeles Metro bus that had unfolded at around 5 p.m., leaving at least two people dead.
Witness Zareh Sevanesian told NBC News that he noticed that the helicopter was gradually descending while driving nearby.
“As we were driving, I looked over to my left,” he said. “I saw the helicopter…something didn’t look right. And I told my wife, ‘That helicopter is not flying right.’”
A fire broke out at the crash site with Sevanesian deciding to pull over.
“It was one of the most violent fires I had ever seen,” he said.
Colleen Williams, an NBC 4 Los Angeles anchor, confirmed the crash while on air.
“We knew it was a news chopper, we knew we’d lost contact with our people out there, and we’ve just received the confirmation that, in fact, NewsChopper 4 went down just before 7 o’clock tonight in Chatsworth,” Williams said.
“We’re going to take a couple of minutes to think about that, to process and to regroup,” she added.
The Independent has contacted the Los Angeles Fire Department and the Los Angeles Police Department for comment.
