NBC4 reporter Eliana Moreno and pilot George Marciniw were killed when their news helicopter crashed in Los Angeles while covering a deadly crash.
A veteran NBC4 reporter and an experienced pilot have been identified among three people killed after a news helicopter crashed in Los Angeles while covering another deadly accident.
Eliana Moreno and George Marciniw were aboard the NBC4 NewsChopper4 when it went down Tuesday evening in the Chatsworth neighborhood of the San Fernando Valley. The helicopter was operated by Angel City Air and was providing aerial coverage for NBC4 and Telemundo 52.
A third person on the ground also died in the crash. Authorities have not publicly identified that victim.
NBC reporter Eliana Moreno identified
Moreno was a familiar presence on NBC4 and Telemundo 52, where she worked as an aerial journalist and reporter.
She joined Angel City Air’s helicopter operation in 2010, the same year she graduated from Chapman University with degrees in broadcast journalism and political science. She had worked for several Southern California news organizations during her career.
Moreno had also been working alongside Marciniw since 2023, according to NBC4.
Colleagues remembered Moreno as a dedicated journalist who was passionate about aerial reporting and covering breaking news across Southern California.
Veteran pilot George Marciniw also killed
Marciniw, the helicopter’s pilot, was also among those killed.
The Southern California native graduated from Burbank High School in 1974 and was an experienced pilot who had spent years working in the region’s television news industry. He and Moreno regularly worked together during aerial assignments.
Their deaths prompted an emotional response from NBC4 journalists, who learned of the tragedy while the station was broadcasting coverage of the crash.
Helicopter crashed while covering another accident
The NewsChopper4 crew had been covering a separate crash involving an SUV and a Metro bus when the helicopter went down shortly before 7 p.m. Tuesday.
The earlier collision had already left at least two people dead and six injured, according to authorities.
The helicopter crashed between commercial buildings near a storage facility in Chatsworth and caught fire. The flames damaged several vehicles and storage containers before firefighters brought the blaze under control. More than 70 firefighters responded to the scene.
Two additional people were taken to a hospital after the helicopter crash, although authorities had not immediately released details about their conditions.
Cause of Los Angeles helicopter crash remains unknown
The cause of the crash has not been determined.
The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident.
Officials will examine the helicopter, flight data and other evidence as investigators work to establish what caused the aircraft to lose altitude and crash.
Witnesses described seeing the helicopter descend before the impact, but investigators have not publicly established a cause.
NBC4 mourns colleagues
The crash sent shock waves through the Los Angeles television news community, where helicopters are frequently used to provide live coverage of fires, traffic collisions and other breaking events.
NBC4 anchors confirmed Moreno and Marciniw’s deaths during live coverage as colleagues struggled to process the loss of two members of their news operation.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass also expressed condolences, describing the loss of five Angelenos across the helicopter and earlier bus crash as deeply painful.
For NBC4 and Telemundo 52, the tragedy represents the loss of two longtime professionals who spent their careers covering the community from the air.
The investigation into the deadly Los Angeles helicopter crash remains ongoing.
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