A veteran news anchor has broken down on air as a news helicopter likely carrying colleagues crashed in downtown Los Angeles.

A longtime aerial reporter and veteran pilot have been identified as two of three people killed when an NBC news helicopter crashed and erupted in flames in Los Angeles.

NBC4 reporter Eliana “Eli” Moreno and pilot George Marciniw were aboard NewsChopper4 when it came down between two commercial buildings in Chatsworth shortly before 7pm on Tuesday.

A pedestrian on the ground was also killed.

The helicopter, used by NBC4 Los Angeles and Telemundo 52, had been covering an earlier collision between an SUV and a Metro bus at the intersection of Nordhoff Street and De Soto Avenue.

Two people were killed in that crash and six others were injured after the SUV slammed into the side of the bus.

The helicopter came down several blocks away at 9151 North Mason Avenue, setting fire to four parked vehicles and two storage containers. Fifty-six firefighters responded and extinguished the blaze, with no nearby buildings damaged.

Longtime news anchor Colleen Williams confirmed the chopper belonged to the NBC4 Los Angeles station live on air.

Longtime news anchor Colleen Williams confirmed the chopper belonged to the NBC4 Los Angeles station live on air.

Eliana Moreno and George Marciniw have been identified as the victims.

Williams had earlier said that her team had “not been able to reach out to our people on Chopper 4”.

“We have lost contact with our people,” she said.

The last footage filmed from the chopper has since emerged. It shows the camera panning out from the scene of the traffic incident before the aircraft is rocked by violent shaking.

A female voice can be heard saying: “You can’t pull up?”

The last recorded footage from the NBC helicopter captures the reporter’s last words as it starts shaking violently.

Footage from inside the chopper shows it shaking violently in the moments before the tragedy. Picture: KNBC

Moreno had worked in aerial journalism since graduating from Chapman University in 2010 with degrees in broadcast journalism and political science.

She worked for KCAL 9 and KCBS 2 before joining NBC and became a familiar presence above Los Angeles, covering police pursuits, wildfires, traffic and major breaking-news events.

Marciniw was an experienced Southern California helicopter pilot who had flown alongside Moreno since 2023.

The cause of the crash remains unknown. The US National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration will investigate.

A helicopter has crashed in Los Angeles while filming a bus crash scene. Picture: KTLA

First responders work the scene after a helicopter crashed near a bus crash in Chatsworth, a neighbourhood in Los Angeles, Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)

In this still image provided by KABC-TV shows First responders work the scene after a helicopter crashed near a bus crash in Chatsworth, a neighbourhood in Los Angeles, Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2026. (KABC-TV via AP)

In this still image provided by KABC-TV shows firefighters respond to a deadly bus crash, in Los Angeles on Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2026. (KABC-TV via AP)

One individual was taken to a local hospital in grave condition, according to the local fire department.

When firefighters arrived at the scene, they found both the helicopter and the cars burning close to where emergency crews were already helping people from an earlier bus accident.

Flames had since been extinguished at the helicopter crash scene, but firefighters remained in the area, ABC 7 reported.

Home

‘We have lost contact with our people’: Veteran reporter and pilot killed as NBC helicopter crashes in Los Angeles