Updated

Updated · Fox News · Sep 17

Dashcam Video Shows NBC Helicopter Plunge in Los Angeles, Killing 3 as NTSB Probes Alarm

Updated

Updated · Fox News · Sep 17

Dashcam Video Shows NBC Helicopter Plunge in Los Angeles, Killing 3 as NTSB Probes Alarm

Q: What caused a news helicopter to plummet into a neighborhood while covering a deadly bus crash just blocks away?

The cause has not yet been determined. Authorities say the news helicopter crashed around 7:30 p.m. on Mason Avenue in Chatsworth while covering the earlier deadly Metro bus collision, but officials have not released any confirmed reason for why it fell. What is known is that the aircraft went down between commercial buildings, struck truck cargo containers, and burst into flames, igniting nearby vehicles. Los Angeles fire officials said at least three people were killed, including one person on the ground, and another person was hospitalized. KNBC reported that it lost contact with its helicopter, and multiple outlets said the aircraft was one of the news helicopters assigned to the bus-crash coverage. Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board are leading the inquiry, with the FAA and Los Angeles police also involved. Because the helicopter was badly damaged by the impact and fire, officials said they still needed to identify the aircraft fully, determine how many people were aboard, and examine the wreckage for evidence of mechanical failure, pilot error, or other factors. So, at this stage, the helicopter did not “plummet” for any publicly confirmed reason. The only verified answer is that it crashed while covering the nearby fatal bus wreck, and the cause remains under active federal investigation.

3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Sep 17

Dashcam footage newly released from a Chatsworth driver shows the NBC4-Telemundo 52 helicopter dropping rapidly before a fiery crash Tuesday that killed three people.
Final broadcast video from the aircraft captured an alarm as it lost altitude, and NTSB investigator Fabian Salazar said the recording may offer critical evidence of engine-speed changes and cockpit advisory tones.
The Eurocopter AS350, operated by Angel City Air, killed reporter Eliana Moreno, pilot George Marciniw and 29-year-old Edy Gutierrez Mejia on the ground; the crash also ignited at least four vehicles and two storage containers.
The helicopter had been covering a separate collision about 2 hours earlier in which an SUV allegedly driving the wrong way hit a Metro bus, killing 2 and injuring 6; driver Bailee Lynn Rios, 36, was arrested on murder charges.
Federal investigators are examining both the helicopter crash and the earlier bus collision as authorities work to determine what caused the aircraft to go down.