Date: September 17, 2026
Source: CNN
Topic: Los Angeles Helicopter Crash, NBC4, Telemundo 52
A news helicopter crashed Tuesday evening in Los Angeles, killing three people, including an experienced pilot and an aerial photojournalist-reporter. A third victim was a 29-year-old tourist from Guatemala who was on the ground when the helicopter crashed.
The helicopter, a Eurocopter AS350 operated by Angel City Air, was being used by NBC4 and Telemundo 52 while covering a deadly bus collision in Chatsworth, about 25 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles. The aircraft crashed into a commercial parking area. At least two other people were taken to hospitals with injuries.
Eliana Moreno
One of the victims was Eliana Moreno, an aerial photojournalist and reporter who had worked in Los Angeles television news for years. She graduated from Chapman University in 2010 and had received an award for continuing television coverage in 2023.
Moreno was also engaged to be married. Colleagues described her as passionate about aerial journalism, and she regularly shared behind-the-scenes glimpses of her work from the helicopter. She covered wildfires, police pursuits and other breaking news events from the air.
Veteran Pilot George Marciniw
The second helicopter victim was George Marciniw, a veteran Los Angeles-area pilot who was reportedly approaching retirement. He grew up in Burbank and graduated from Burbank High School in 1974.
Marciniw had more than 30 years of experience as a helicopter flight instructor and had accumulated about 14,000 flight hours, according to information cited by CNN. He and Moreno had been flying together since 2023.
🇬🇹 Young Tourist Killed on the Ground
The third victim was Edy Gutierrez Mejia, a 29-year-old man from Guatemala. He had arrived in Los Angeles only hours before the crash and was in a business parking lot when the helicopter went down.
His family described him as playful and someone who enjoyed making people laugh. Mejia was from Cuilapa in southeastern Guatemala.
Investigation Underway
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is leading the investigation into the crash. The cause has not yet been determined.
Video recorded from inside the helicopter shortly before the crash appears to contain sounds of the engine losing power, followed by an alarm that seemed to indicate the helicopter’s main rotor blades were slowing down. CNN aviation correspondent Pete Muntean analyzed the footage, but investigators will have to determine what actually caused the apparent mechanical problems.
The NTSB is expected to issue a preliminary report in about 30 days, while determining the probable cause of an aviation accident can take considerably longer.
The crash has deeply affected the Los Angeles television news community, where aerial reporting has long been an important part of covering wildfires, police activity, traffic and other breaking events.
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Date: September 17, 2026
Source: CNN
Topic: Los Angeles Helicopter Crash, NBC4, Telemundo 52
