Wow, I've lived in LA for a long time, but this is really the first time I've heard such a story.

In LA, it's common to see news helicopters. They fly overhead when there's a major accident on the freeway, during wildfires, or when police are chasing a suspect.

Especially during police chases, there have been days when the evening news shows nothing but helicopter footage for hours.

Because of that, I never really thought about the dangers that news helicopters face.

I just thought they were always up there in the LA sky.

However, on the evening of September 15, a news helicopter from NBC4 and Telemundo 52, NewsChopper4, crashed in Chatsworth.

The helicopter's aviation reporter, Eliana Moreno, and pilot, George Marciniw, lost their lives, and a person on the ground was also tragically killed.

What's even more shocking is that these individuals were covering an accident when they themselves had an accident. On the 15th, there was a major collision between an SUV and a Metro bus in Chatsworth. Three people died in that accident, and six were taken to the hospital. Naturally, LA news helicopters went out to cover it, and NewsChopper4 was one of them.

But the helicopter that was covering the scene crashed near North Mason Avenue just before 7 PM.

Hearing the name Chatsworth brings back memories. Those who have lived in LA for a long time might remember.

In 2008, there was a horrific accident in Chatsworth where a Metrolink commuter train collided head-on with a Union Pacific freight train.

At that time, 25 people died, and 102 were taken to the hospital. Later investigations revealed that the Metrolink engineer was texting while driving and failed to notice a red signal, which was a major cause of the accident. I remember that accident was so significant that it was in the LA news for days.

So for someone like me, when I think of Chatsworth, I recall that train accident rather than any good memories. Yet, 18 years later, there's been another major accident in that area, and now a news helicopter has crashed while covering it, which feels quite surreal.

The helicopter that crashed reportedly fell into a parking lot between buildings. It caught fire upon impact, damaging four nearby vehicles and two containers. Some witnesses reported seeing the helicopter strangely swaying side to side just before it crashed. Then it lost altitude and went down.

The pilot was not inexperienced. George Marciniw was known to have over 30 years of flying experience and also worked as a flight instructor teaching other pilots. Eliana Moreno had been doing aerial reporting since 2010. The two had been flying together since 2023 and had covered numerous LA news stories from the sky, including wildfires and police chases.

It's even more surprising that such experienced individuals faced an accident while doing their usual work.

Of course, at this stage, we don't know why it crashed. Whether there was a mechanical issue or if suddenly the controls became unresponsive is still under investigation.

The FAA and NTSB will conduct investigations, so the exact cause will take time to determine.

Wow, it's just tragic. The deceased went out to cover someone else's accident and ended up becoming the news themselves.

Having lived in LA for a long time, this is the first time I've heard of a news helicopter crashing during coverage and resulting in fatalities.

Moreover, since it happened in Chatsworth, the site of that horrific train accident, watching the news brought back memories for a while.

News helicopters, which I always took for granted as being up in the sky, are ultimately aircraft carrying people. This accident has made that fact hit home for me.