For the record:
1:38 p.m. Sept. 19, 2026: An earlier version of this article stated KCAL's helicopter is owned by Angel City Air. It is owned by Helicopters Inc.
Whether it's a brush fire, a mass shooting, a car chase or the aftermath of a major storm, viewers in Los Angeles are used to getting the news from above.
Television news helicopter coverage has become one of the most important elements of any local newscast, with the high-flying helicopters roaring overhead a common fixture of breaking news scenes.
These images are so ubiquitous, it may have been easy to take them for granted, until Tuesday, when an NBC4 helicopter carrying reporter Eliana Moreno and pilot George Marciniw crashed while covering breaking news in Chatsworth. Both died, along with a bystander on the ground.
The tragedy has prompted soul-searching in the world of TV news helicopter pilots and focused attention on safety issues.

#city #whether #angeles

NBC4's helicopter was one of several news aircraft flying over the scene of a deadly bus crash in Chatsworth Tuesday evening at sunset.
It's common for multiple news choppers to arrive at the scene of breaking news, beaming live images for newscasts and streaming.
But around 7 p.m., something went horribly wrong and in a matter of seconds the NBC4 chopper dropped out of the sky, crashing into shipping containers and vehicles outside a warehouse a few blocks away, bursting into flames. Two station journalists, reporter Eliana Moreno and pilot George Marciniw, were killed along with a bystander on the ground.
Federal investigators are now trying to figure out what went wrong. The Times interviewed several experts, who reviewed recordings of the chopper's final moments. They offered insights into the helicopter itself, its movements that afternoon and what is known about how its mechanics work.
Here's what they had to say:

#went #wrong #tuesday #nbc4

It was a night of devastation in Chatsworth that began with a deadly Metro bus collision and ended with the fiery crash of an NBC4 helicopter covering the news that left two journalists and, on the ground, a bystander dead.
Tuesday's scene was a mixture of confusion and chaos, with first responders fanned out across two catastrophes and television news teams desperately trying to find out whether their journalists were safe. The crashes claimed the lives of five people and left others with various degrees of injury.
Investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration were trying Wednesday to determine exactly what caused the news helicopter, a Eurocopter AS350 B2, to go down.
NTSB Investigator Fabian Salazar said officials are searching through the wreckage, combing through maintenance logbooks, security footage, weather reports and witness interviews, and reviewing the pilot's training to figure out what went wrong.
But the most critical information so far has been audio captured from the helicopter during a live broadcast of reporter Eliana Moreno and pilot George Marciniw's final moments before it crashed.

#journalists #nbc4

Tributes began pouring in Wednesday after a news helicopter crashed in Los Angeles, leaving three people dead.
The crash occurred just before 7 p.m. local time Tuesday in the Chatsworth area of the San Fernando Valley, as the news chopper was covering a road traffic accident.
Angel City Air operated the helicopter, which was providing news coverage for NBC Los Angeles.
The victims aboard the helicopter were identified as Eliana Moreno, a journalist familiar to viewers of the station and its Spanish-language sister station, Telemundo 52, and pilot George Marciniw. The pair began flying together in 2023.
A pedestrian on the ground was also confirmed to have died at the scene, officials said. Authorities identified the third victim as Edy Gutiérrez Mejia, 29.

#wednesday

NFL star Ladd McConkey is married to his high school sweetheart, Sydney
The couple grew up in Chatsworth, Ga., and tied the knot in April 2025
They are currently expecting their first child together
Ladd McConkey is making his mark on the NFL with his wife, Sydney McConkey, by his side.
The longtime couple are high school sweethearts who began dating in 2017 after meeting as kids in their hometown of Chatsworth, Ga. After high school, Sydney cheered Ladd on at the University of Georgia, where he won two national championships with the Georgia Bulldogs.

#chatsworth #georgia

Four-star combo guard Jordan Mize from Sierra Canyon in Chatsworth, California, received an offer from the Gonzaga Bulldogs.
The 6-5, 190-pounder with high upside holds other offers from the San Francisco Dons, California Golden Bears, Sacramento State Hornets, San Diego Toreros, USC Trojans, Oregon Ducks, Oregon State Beavers, Washington Huskies, Arizona State Sun Devils, Utah Utes, TCU Horned Frogs, LSU Tigers, and Tennessee Volunteers.
Mize shot up the Rivals rankings, competing with the Northwest Rotary Rebels (an AAU combination program with Portland, Oregon's Rose City Rebels, and Seattle, Washington's Seattle Rotary) on the Nike EYBL circuit this spring and summer. The Sacramento, California native is currently placed as the No. 20 overall recruit in the Class of 2028, the No. 4 shooting guard, and the No. 5 player coming out of the state of California.
He averaged 16.5 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.3 **** ists, and 2.1 steals per game during the spring with the Rotary Rebels. Mize is improving into a two-way versatility threat, but he looks his best when attacking downhill and finishing through contact when watching his highlights at the Nevada Live Invitational in Las Vegas, Nevada, in late June.
The 17-year-old is still growing and raw for his young age.