Eliana Moreno and George Marciniw died Tuesday night when their news helicopter crashed in Chatsworth while covering a separate bus accident. The crash killed three people total, including one pedestrian on the ground, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.
The NewsChopper4 was hovering near Nordhoff Street when it suddenly lost altitude and plunged between two commercial buildings. Firefighters found the wreckage destroyed and engulfed in flames, per the Daily Wire. Officials stated that two additional individuals were transported to the hospital due to injuries.
NBC4 and Telemundo 52 confirmed the deaths of their aerial reporter and veteran pilot in a joint statement late Tuesday. “We are deeply saddened to share that a helicopter providing aerial news coverage for NBC4 and Telemundo 52 was involved in a fatal accident in Los Angeles on Tuesday evening,” the stations said.
Eliana Moreno, known as “Eli in the Heli,” had covered Los Angeles from the sky since 2010. She was 38 years old and had just celebrated her engagement to Robert Barrientos a year ago. George Marciniw, her pilot, had accumulated over 14,000 hours of flight time.
Breaking: an LA based helicopter pilot tells me the alert you hear in this video of the KNBC news chopper crash is a low rotor RPM warning, indicating potential engine failure. pic.twitter.com/Mnhu8EiOsa
— Jeff Vaughn (@JeffVaughn) September 16, 2026
A witness on the ground told NBC L.A. about the moments before the crash. “My husband’s in law enforcement,” she said. “He said the helicopter is looking strange. We noticed that it was swaying. Five seconds later… we saw large smoke.”
Fire Capt. Brandon Silverman described the scene as they arrived at the fiery wreckage. “From the helicopter itself, it’s pretty well destroyed,” he said.
Veteran pilot Zoey Tur reviewed audio from the crash and offered a grim assessment to the New York Post. Tur noted that the recording appeared to capture an engine failure horn and a drop in rotor speed before the impact. The National Transportation Safety Board will lead the official investigation into the cause.
L.A. Mayor Karen Bass spoke at a press conference about the double tragedy hitting the community. “This is a very, very, very tragic day in Los Angeles,” she said. The helicopter was operated by Angel City Air Inc, which provides coverage for major news outlets throughout the region.
Authorities have not yet determined exactly why the aircraft went down. Federal investigators will examine regulatory and licensing issues alongside the mechanical failure. The families of the victims have received heartfelt condolences from colleagues and the public.
We mourn the loss of two dedicated professionals who were doing their jobs when disaster struck. Their commitment to bringing the news to our screens ended in a fiery crash that left a community in shock. The investigation will continue to uncover the truth behind this heartbreaking event.
