A horrifying scene unfolded in Chatsworth, California on the evening of September 15, when an NBC4 and Telemundo 52 news helicopter lost control and crashed while its crew was filming live aerial coverage of a deadly Metro bus and SUV collision below. The aircraft, a Eurocopter AS350 operated by contractor Angel City Air, went down in a parking lot between two commercial buildings, erupting into flames on impact. Killed were veteran pilot George Marciniw and aerial photojournalist Eliana Moreno, who had flown together for years covering major stories across Southern California, along with one person who was on the ground at the time. A fourth person was hospitalized, and officials say the crash brought the day's combined death toll to five, counting the two people already killed in the original bus crash the helicopter had been sent to cover.

The National Transportation Safety Board is now leading the investigation into what caused the crash, with a team expected on scene to begin examining the wreckage. CNN's aviation analysis of footage from inside the helicopter in its final moments reportedly picked up the sound of the engine losing power alongside a warning alarm tied to the main rotor blades slowing down, though officials have not yet confirmed an official cause. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass called it a heartbreaking night for the city, and NBC4 and Telemundo 52 issued a statement mourning the loss of two colleagues who had logged hundreds of hours flying together, including during the January 2025 wildfires. The tragedy has left the Chatsworth community, and the local newsroom, reeling from two fatal crashes within the same evening.