Tuesday night’s helicopter crash in Los Angeles claimed a third victim, whose name has now been released. Edy Gutierrez Mejia, 29, was among those who died alongside reporter Eliana Moreno and pilot George Marciniw.
When firefighters arrived at the scene, they found the helicopter fully engulfed in flames. A thick plume of black smoke rose into the air. The fire department said the blaze had damaged four vehicles and two storage containers, though it was quickly extinguished.
The Crash in Chatsworth
Tuesday saw a crash occur around 7 p.m., and NBC4 later confirmed that the helicopter involved belonged to their own station. The two people aboard — Moreno and Marciniw — were confirmed dead as a result of the incident. On Wednesday, the third victim, Mejia, was identified by the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner.
Five people were affected by the crash: three died at the scene, while two others were taken to the hospital. One person suffered what appeared to be a panic attack and was admitted with unknown condition. The second survivor was hospitalized as well, though their status is not known.
Mayor Karen Bass addressed the tragedy at a late Tuesday news conference. “This is a heartbreaking night for our city, and my thoughts and prayers are first and foremost with the families and loved ones that we lost today,” she said. “Our hearts are with those impacted by the bus collision and the helicopter crash, and with the entire community who lost members of their team while they were doing their job.”
Gavin Newsom offered his thanks to first responders during his remarks, saying “Our hearts are with the victims and families of tonight’s devastating Metro bus and helicopter crashes in Chatsworth, and with the entire NBC4 family,”.
NBC4 and Telemundo 52 Los Angeles issued a joint statement. The statement said they were “deeply saddened” and extended “heartfelt condolences to the families, friends and colleagues of those who lost their lives.” “Losing five Angelenos is very painful,” Bass added. “And I know this community of Chatsworth, hit hard, will be grieving for some time.”
What the Video Shows
Jeff Guzzetti, an aviation safety expert, examined the last video from the helicopter. He identified the alarm heard in the recording as the low rotor RPM warning horn. That noise warns that the main rotor is no longer turning fast enough to support the aircraft in flight.
“It just has all the earmarks of a potential loss of engine power and a dangerous decrease in the main rotor speed,” Guzzetti said. He previously investigated crashes for both the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration.
The pilot seemed to be attempting an emergency maneuver, according to Guzzetti. Hovering at a low altitude and letting the wind drive the rotor to spin anew, much as a breeze sets a windmill in motion, can produce some lift that may soften the landing. Yet the expert pointed out there would have been scant time to carry it out, since the aircraft had already been hovering at a low altitude prior to the incident.
This technique is frequently used during helicopter emergencies, though it demands exact timing and altitude. Once the rotor begins losing speed, the margin for success shrinks quickly.
Risks of Flying Over a City
In a large city such as Los Angeles, news helicopters encounter specific risks because several aircraft frequently respond to the same event at once. To keep a safe space between them, pilots work together using the radio.
To keep these news flights safe, the industry shares its best practices. Guzzetti described the mission as a risky one, yet praised the community’s approach to learning from past incidents.
“It’s a very unique form of flying. And the community is very good about lessons learned,” Guzzetti said. “And so because of that, you don’t hear about too many of those accidents. So they’re rare, but they do occur, just because the mission is a risky one.”
He admitted that news helicopters flying through crowded city skies pose genuine dangers. The danger grows when several crews arrive at the same location together. However, the coordination procedures seem to function well in most cases.
A Second Tragedy for NBC4
NBC4 has suffered two aviation disasters. The earlier one happened in 1977. A KNBC news chopper ran out of fuel on its way back to the station following coverage of a wildfire in Santa Barbara, causing it to crash. The pilot and camera operator died in that incident.
Francis Gary Powers, who flew a U-2 spy plane over the Soviet Union for the CIA and was shot down and captured, was the pilot of that earlier aircraft. A former U.S. Air Force officer, his ordeal was depicted in the film “Bridge of Spies.”.
| Crash | Date | Aircraft | Victims |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 KNBC crash | 1977 | News helicopter | Pilot, camera operator |
| Current NBC4 crash | Undated | NBC4 helicopter | Reporter, pilot, third victim |
Fatal Crashes Since 2000
A review of federal accident records and news accounts has found at least eight fatal crashes involving news helicopters in the United States since 2000, with 16 people killed. The most serious recent accidents include:
- A 2023 crash in a New Jersey forest that killed the pilot and a photographer aboard a helicopter used by Philadelphia station WPVI.
- A 2022 crash beside a Charlotte, North Carolina, interstate that killed a pilot and meteorologist during a training flight for WBTV.
These crashes highlight the real danger that comes with the mission. Journalists follow storms, fires and traffic accidents from low altitudes, frequently amid crowded skies. In response, the field has tightened coordination and put shared safety protocols into place, yet accidents keep occurring.
The Investigation Ahead
Both the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration will look into the crash. What they find might settle whether the alarm heard in the video came before the crash, and whether any safety measures broke down.
For the families of Moreno, Marciniw and Mejia, answers will probably take months to arrive. Until then, the city is left to grieve.
The sadness Bass felt for her city was personal, and she made it clear that Chatsworth, the community she described, would be mourning for a long while. Her words carried the weight of the loss.
“This is a heartbreaking night for our city,” Bass said. “Our hearts are with those impacted by the bus collision and the helicopter crash.”
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