A devastating night in Los Angeles turned even darker when an NBC4 news helicopter covering a deadly bus collision crashed and burst into flames in the Chatsworth neighborhood, killing three people. Aerial reporter Eliana Moreno and pilot George Marciniw, both employees of Angel City Air, were killed aboard the aircraft, while a bystander on the ground was also confirmed dead. The helicopter went down in a parking lot near a storage facility around 7 p.m. Tuesday, just as it was providing live coverage of an earlier crash involving a Metro bus and an SUV a short distance away. At least one other person was hospitalized following the crash, and officials say several parked cars and storage containers also caught fire when the wreckage went up in flames.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass called it a heartbreaking night for the city, mourning the loss of five Angelenos across both the bus collision and the helicopter crash within hours of each other. The earlier bus crash killed two people and injured six others in the San Fernando Valley, drawing multiple news helicopters to the scene before tragedy struck a second time. The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board are now investigating both incidents, with NTSB officials confirming the aircraft involved was a Eurocopter AS 350 B2 and that investigators were expected on scene the following morning. NBC4 and Telemundo 52 said they were deeply saddened by the loss, extending condolences to the families of everyone killed as the local news community grapples with the rare tragedy of losing colleagues in the line of duty.