New footage captures NBC4 helicopter’s final moments before deadly Los Angeles crash
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Newly released footage shows the NBC4 helicopter hovering over a Chatsworth intersection before suddenly losing altitude and crashing into a parking lot.
The September 15 crash killed reporter Eliana Moreno, pilot George Marciniw, and 29-year-old Edy Gutierrez Mejia, who was on the ground.
BREAKING: Previously unpublished video captures the helicopter’s final seconds and impact, shown at regular speed and in slow motion. The blades appear stalled, but only NTSB analysis can determine rotor speed and cause. Viewer discretion. #NTSB #AviationSafety #CopterPilot pic.twitter.com/kHZGczmqOg
— Los Angeles Aerial Photography (@copterpilotla) September 18, 2026
New video captures NBC4 helicopter’s final moments before crash
The footage, obtained by NBCLA from a nearby building, captures the Airbus helicopter in the air before it abruptly begins to drop toward the ground.
The video does not show the complete impact because a building blocks the camera’s view during the final moments.
However, flames and thick smoke can be seen rising from behind the building after the crash, with emergency crews arriving shortly afterward.
Smoke appears roughly 20 seconds after impact, while the first flames are visible around 50 seconds after the crash.
The helicopter had been covering a deadly SUV and Metro bus crash when it went down in the parking lot of a self-storage business.
Eliana Moreno and George Marciniw killed in helicopter crash
Moreno, 38, and Marciniw were the two people aboard the helicopter who died in the crash. Gutierrez Mejia, 29, was killed on the ground.
The Radio & Television News Association of Southern California mourned the loss of Moreno and Marciniw, describing Moreno as a Golden Mike Award-winning aerial journalist known to viewers of NBC Los Angeles and Telemundo 52 as “Eli in the heli.”
“For 16 years, Eliana brought Southern California the news from above: wildfires, police pursuits, and countless breaking stories, delivered with the steadiness and dedication that earned her the trust of viewers across the region,” the association said.
NTSB investigates cause of fatal NBC4 helicopter crash
The newly released video comes as federal investigators look into whether the helicopter suffered an engine or mechanical failure.
The footage also appears to show that the helicopter did not simply run out of fuel.
However, the video only captures part of the descent, leaving investigators to examine other evidence before determining what happened.
The NTSB has asked anyone who may have recorded video from the crash scene to come forward as investigators work to piece together the helicopter’s final moments.
The wreckage has also been moved to a specialized facility in Phoenix, Arizona. Pieces of the helicopter were loaded onto a truck and transported there for further examination, NBC said.
A candlelight vigil was held on Thursday night, September 17, at St John Eudes Parish in Chatsworth to remember Moreno, Marciniw, and Mejia.
The crash has left the local broadcast community mourning two colleagues who had been covering news from the air, while Mejia was caught in the tragedy while on the ground.
