TV journalist and pilot who died in Los Angeles helicopter crash were covering another accident

A television news helicopter crashed in the Chatsworth neighborhood of Los Angeles' San Fernando Valley on Tuesday evening at around 7pm local time, killing both people aboard and one person on the ground.

The victims aboard the aircraft were identified as aerial photojournalist Eliana Moreno and pilot George Marciniw. The helicopter, operated for local NBC affiliate NBC4, had been covering an earlier crash involving a bus and an SUV that occurred around 5pm, killing two people and sending several others to hospital. The helicopter went down roughly two hours later, just a couple of blocks from that scene.

NBC4 anchor Coleen Williams confirmed the deaths of the two colleagues live on air, saying the station had lost contact with the chopper just before what was supposed to be its first live report of the evening. A third victim, a pedestrian near the crash site, has not yet been identified.

According to the anchors, Moreno was born and raised in Orange county and graduated from Chapman University with a degree in broadcast journalism and political science. Marciniw grew up in southern California and graduated from Burbank high school in 1974. The pair had been flying together since 2023.

NBC Los Angeles and Telemundo 52 issued a joint statement offering condolences to the families, friends and colleagues of those killed.

At a news conference that night, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said the city had lost five residents that day between the two crashes and offered condolences to all affected families. California Governor Gavin Newsom also released a statement expressing support for the victims' families and the NBC4 team, and thanking first responders.

The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration said they will investigate the helicopter crash.