NTSB investigates news helicopter crash that killed Latina reporter, pilot and Guatemalan tourist

Los Angeles-based reporter Eliana Moreno of NBC4/Telemundo 52 and pilot George Marciniw died Tuesday night after a news helicopter crashed in the Chatsworth area.

On the ground, a third victim identified as Guatemalan tourist Edy Gutierrez Mejia, 29, also died.  

As a memorial outside the NBC4/Telemundo 52 station keeps growing, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is looking for witnesses to gather more information as it investigates the incident.

The crash that happened before 7 p.m., between two commercial buildings near Mason Avenue and Nordhoff Street, injured two others, including a warehouse worker who was in the parking lot at the time of the crash. He was “shaken up more emotionally than physically,'' according to reporting by “LA Live News Tonight.''

The helicopter crash ignited a fire exposing four vehicles, said Jennifer Middleton of the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD). The fire was extinguished and four cars and two storage containers were damaged by the fire, she added.

Minutes before the crash, the news crew was hovering over the scene of a fatal SUV-bus collision, which left another three people dead.

Looking for evidence

During a news briefing near the crash scene on Wednesday, NTSB Investigator Fabian Salazar said video from the cockpit of the doomed Airbus AS350 B2 helicopter would likely be the most important piece of evidence in the investigation, as it captured changes in the chopper's engine speed and a warning signal being sounded.

The video, posted online, shows the camera zooming out and several alarms — apparently indicative of an engine failure — being heard as the chopper begins falling. Moreno can be heard saying, “You can't pull up?” before the video goes black.

“What we are going to do is get a pristine copy of that recording and send it to our recorder's lab for a sound spectrum analysis,'' Salazar said. “Because in that recording, we are clearly hearing sounds that are consistent with the engine changing its speed. And we're also hearing tones that are being generated that are likely advisories to the pilot.”

Salazar said the helicopter is not believed to have been equipped with a flight data recorder.

He said investigators will also seek any surveillance video that captured the helicopter going down or the crash. He urged any residents with information regarding the crash to contact the NTSB at witness@ntsb.gov

Salazar said they will look at the maintenance logbooks, the weather pattern that night, as well as the pilot's training, gathering as much factual data as possible. 

Salazar stressed that no conclusions would be reached immediately and a preliminary report will be issued in about 30 days, “followed by a final report with a probable cause, which, depending on the circumstances of the accident, can go out to about 18 months.''

Families near and far mourning 

Moreno, 38, was born in Orange County and graduated from Chapman University in 2010. NBC4 reported she graduated with degrees in broadcast journalism and social sciences.

She joined the Angel City Air helicopter team in September 2010 and reported for several Southern California media outlets.

According to her Instagram page, she owned several chickens and dogs and she got engaged last year.

Telemundo 52 reporter Balbino Aviles, who was friends with Moreno, said they would often connect to cover stories — Moreno from the air and reporters like Aviles from the ground. 

“It hits hard and we are grateful to the community, organizations and colleagues from other news stations who understand the difficult moment we face when we lose two members from work,” he said. 

Marciniw grew up in Southern California, graduating from Burbank High School in 1974. According to NBC4, he had roughly three decades of flying experience.

“When you thought about NewsChopper4 you thought about George,'' NBC4 meteorologist Belen De Leon said in remarks published by the station.

The pair began flying together in 2023. 

The victim on the ground, Gutierrez Mejia, was visiting from Guatemala, said his cousin. His family shared a photo and are hoping to get his body back to Guatemala. 

The municipality of Cullapa in Guatemala confirmed Gutierrez Mejia was the third victim from the crash, offered their condolences and shared a photo of the young man who had just arrived in California on a visit trip. 

With CNS information.