Quick Answer
Three people were killed Sept. 15 when a Los Angeles news helicopter crashed into a parking lot while covering a fatal bus collision. Aerial reporter Eliana Moreno, pilot George Marciniw and Edy Gutierrez Mejia, a 29-year-old man on the ground, died in the crash. Federal investigators are examining live video, the wreckage and the helicopter’s records. The national fatal helicopter accident rate has declined in recent years, but this crash shows how an accident over a populated area can also kill people who were never aboard the aircraft.
A helicopter sent to report on one deadly crash became the center of another tragedy Tuesday evening in Los Angeles.
NewsChopper4 was hovering over a collision involving an SUV and a Los Angeles Metro bus when the aircraft lost altitude and crashed near a self-storage business in Chatsworth. The helicopter burst into flames, burning vehicles and storage containers in the parking lot below.
The crash killed both employees of helicopter operator Angel City Air. One person on the ground also died. Two other people were taken to a hospital, according to local news.
Table of Contents
- What happened in the Chatsworth helicopter crash?
- What investigators are examining
- How often do fatal helicopter crashes occur?
- Why people on the ground can be at risk
- Who may be responsible after a helicopter crash?
What happened in the Chatsworth helicopter crash?
The Eurocopter AS350 B2 was operated by Angel City Air and provided aerial coverage for NBC4 Los Angeles and Telemundo 52. It went down shortly before 7 p.m. near the intersection of Nordhoff Street and De Soto Avenue.
The assignment began after an SUV traveling in the wrong direction struck a Metro bus. Two bus passengers, were killed, and six other people were injured. The helicopter crew was reporting on that collision when the aircraft crashed a short distance away.
What investigators are examining
The National Transportation Safety Board said video recorded during the helicopter’s final live report will be a central part of its investigation. The recording captured cockpit advisory tones and changes in the aircraft’s sound before it descended.
Surveillance video from a nearby building also showed a rapid descent. NTSB investigators removed the wreckage for a closer examination and asked witnesses to submit additional recordings. The review will include maintenance logs, weather information, pilot training records and witness statements, according to NBC Los Angeles’ follow-up report.
The video may help investigators identify the sequence of events, but it does not by itself establish why the helicopter lost altitude. The NTSB generally issues a preliminary report within about 30 days. A final probable-cause report can take much longer.
How often do fatal helicopter crashes occur?
The broad U.S. helicopter safety record has improved, even as individual crashes continue to produce devastating losses. The U.S. Helicopter Safety Team calculates fatal accident rates for U.S.-registered helicopters operating in the United States and its territories.
| Year | Fatal accidents per 100,000 flight hours |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 0.79 |
| 2021 | 0.76 |
| 2022 | 0.58 |
| 2023 | 0.58 |
| 2024 | 0.44 |
The estimated 2024 rate was the lowest in the 25 years for which flight-hour data was available and about 44% lower than the 2020 rate, according to the U.S. Helicopter Safety Team. The Federal Aviation Administration’s rotorcraft dashboard tracks these rates using NTSB accident data, preliminary FAA reports and estimated flight hours.
News helicopters are a much smaller subset. An Associated Press review identified at least eight fatal U.S. news-helicopter crashes since 2000 and 16 deaths. Those totals should not be compared directly with the industrywide rate because the amount of news-helicopter flight time is not measured in the same public data.
Texas has its own aviation risk pattern. Our review of Texas aviation injuries from 2021 through 2024 found 181 accidents that resulted in injury, with the largest concentrations around Houston and Dallas-Fort Worth.
Why people on the ground can be at risk
Helicopters can hover and operate without a runway, which makes them useful for reporting fires, traffic collisions, police pursuits and disasters. Those same missions may place an aircraft over streets, businesses and neighborhoods where there are few open areas for an emergency landing.
In the Chatsworth crash, the danger extended beyond the cabin. The helicopter struck a commercial parking area, killed a visitor on the ground and started a fire that damaged at least four vehicles and two storage containers.
Houston news crews work in similar urban conditions. A Houston aerial reporter told the AP that her helicopter operator directs pilots to remain above 500 feet so they have more altitude to respond to a loss of power. Altitude cannot eliminate every danger, but it can affect the time and space available during an emergency.
The same issue appeared when a business jet crashed onto Loop 20 in Laredo and struck a vehicle. As we explained in our report on the Laredo highway plane crash, people on the ground can suffer fatal or serious injuries even though they had no connection to the flight.
Who may be responsible after a helicopter crash?
The tragedy in Los Angeles will be understood more after the NTSB investigation is completed, but it will not reverse the loss that has occurred or establish liability for the surviving family members of those that died. Investigations into liability and who will be responsible for compensating survivors of the accident will be handled by personal injury attorneys.
The Law Offices of Hilda Sibrian have served the Houston community since 2004. Hilda Sibrian serves the Houston metropolitan area, including Sugar Land, Missouri City, La Porte, Beaumont, Pasadena, The Woodlands, The Heights, Bellaire, Kingwood, Baytown and of course Houston proper.
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