A helicopter belonging to a television channel, whose crew was covering a traffic accident, crashed yesterday in a Los Angeles neighborhood and burst into flames, killing at least three people, the Associated Press and Agence France-Presse reported, citing local authorities.
An anchor for NBC4 in Los Angeles confirmed that two people died in the helicopter crash. At least one person died on the ground, according to a local fire department spokesman.
It is not yet known what caused the machine to crash around 7:00 p.m. last night near a one-story commercial building in the "Chatsworth" neighborhood. An NBC 4 anchor in Los Angeles confirmed on the air that the television helicopter crashed shortly before 7:00 p.m. The helicopter flew over "Chatsworth", northwest of downtown, to film the scene of a collision between a car and a bus, in which at least three people were killed and several injured.
According to the Los Angeles Fire Department, at least two people were killed and six were injured in the bus crash.
Helicopters operated by American television channels usually carry two people - a pilot and a television reporter who is filming the footage. Los Angeles, the second-largest city in the United States, is in a competitive news environment. Many use helicopters to cover fires, car chases and other incidents, despite the city's busy airspace, AFP reported.
According to the network's website, the dead in the helicopter were Eliana Moreno, a familiar face on NBC 4 and Telemundo 52, and pilot George Marcinio.
Moreno, a native of Orange County, joined Angel City Air's helicopter crew in 2010, the same year she earned a degree in broadcast journalism and political science from Chapman University. She worked for several media outlets in Southern California and began flying with Marcineau in 2023, according to the site.
The pilot grew up in Southern California and graduated from Burbank High School in 1974.