Journalist Eliana Moreno and pilot George Marciniw were among three people killed Tuesday when a news helicopter crashed in the Los Angeles community of Chatsworth while covering a breaking news story for NBC4 and Telemundo 52.
Moreno and Marciniw were aboard NewsChopper4, owned and operated by Angel City Air, and were providing aerial coverage near the scene of a fatal crash involving a Metro bus when the helicopter suddenly went down.
The third victim was on the ground. Authorities have not yet identified that person.
The cause of the helicopter crash remains unclear.
Moreno and Marciniw frequently worked together, particularly during evening newscasts, and had spent hundreds of hours flying together since 2023. Their work included coverage of major wildfires, police pursuits and other breaking news across Southern California.
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Moreno, who was from Orange County, earned a degree in broadcast journalism and political science from Chapman University. Known to viewers and followers on social media as “Eli in the heli,” she became a familiar voice from the sky for NBC4 and Telemundo 52.
She is survived by her fiancé.
Marciniw, a Southern California native, graduated from Burbank High School in 1974 and was an experienced pilot and flight instructor. He was believed to have more than 30 years of flight experience and had trained aspiring pilots.
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Fellow helicopter pilot Esteban Jimenez said Marciniw had been his friend and instructor since the 1990s and that the two had spoken just days before the crash about aviation and retirement.
“I just cannot believe this,” Jimenez said.
NBC4 and Telemundo 52 expressed condolences to the families, friends and colleagues of those who died.
The tragedy also recalls another fatal helicopter crash involving a Los Angeles television news crew. Nearly 50 years ago, Telecopter reporter Francis Gary Powers and cameraman George Spears were killed when their helicopter crashed in Encino while they were covering brush fires.
