Three people are dead after a television news helicopter crashed and burst into flames in a Los Angeles neighborhood on Tuesday during live coverage. The crash happened near the site of an earlier collision between an SUV and a city bus, the Associated Press reported.
Near a one-story commercial building in Chatsworth, in the San Fernando Valley, the helicopter went down around 7 p.m. News crews were on scene covering the bus crash, which had killed at least two people and injured six others, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.
BREAKING: NBC Los Angeles has announced the death of their reporter Eliana Moreno and pilot George Marcini.
Both were among three dead in the KNBC helicopter crash Tuesday evening. pic.twitter.com/mjqcaRVbu0
— AZ Intel (@AZ_Intel_) September 16, 2026
An NBC4 Los Angeles anchor confirmed live on air that the station's chopper went down just before 7 p.m. Eliana Moreno, who worked for NBCLA, was in the aircraft while covering the the bus crash when it went down, along with the pilot George Marcini.
WATCH: KNBC helicopter crashes during a live report in Los Angeles while covering a deadly metro bus crash.
Eliana Moreno from KNBC was onboard. pic.twitter.com/iUz1zMAScX— Scott M (@EODWX5) September 16, 2026
At least one victim was found outside, in a parking lot beside the commercial building. That detail came from Capt. Branden Silverman, a Los Angeles Fire Department spokesperson, during a news conference. Whether the other two victims were on the ground or inside the aircraft was not immediately known.
One person was taken to a hospital. Their condition was not immediately available.
"We're trying to determine how many patients were inside the helicopter," Silverman said, describing the wreckage as "pretty well destroyed." He added that officials would need to sort through the debris to determine exactly how many people had been on board.
At least four cars and two storage containers on the ground caught fire once the helicopter ignited. The flames, however, were put out quickly, officials said. More than 50 firefighters responded to the crash, the fire department noted.
Sending prayers up for Eliana Moreno and the rest of the crew who were aboard the KNBC helicopter that went down. 🙏🏾 https://t.co/g98gGPg7ME pic.twitter.com/qgaFAt9AUu
— Tony Lane 🇺🇸 (@TonyLaneNV) September 16, 2026
Roughly two hours before the helicopter crash, an SUV had slammed into the middle of a city bus elsewhere, killing at least two people and injuring six others. Photos and videos posted online showed half of the SUV lodged into the side of an MTA bus.
The helicopter crash site sat about a mile and a half (2.4 kilometers) from where the bus had been struck.
The Associated Press reported that both the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration said they would investigate the cause of the helicopter crash.
