RismadarVoice Reporters
September 16, 2026
The Los Angeles television news community has been thrown into mourning following a helicopter crash that killed NBC4 journalist Eliana Moreno and pilot George Marciniw.
The helicopter, operated by NBC Los Angeles, crashed and burst into flames on Tuesday while covering a fatal bus collision in Chatsworth, a neighbourhood in the San Fernando Valley.
The crash killed the two people aboard, Moreno and Marciniw, as well as one person on the ground. Two other people were killed in the bus collision.
The incident sent shockwaves through Los Angeles’ closely connected broadcast journalism community, where news helicopter crews have long played a major role in covering breaking events across the sprawling Southern California region.
NBC Los Angeles anchor Colleen Williams, a veteran broadcaster with four decades at the station, confirmed the helicopter crash on air after the station lost contact with the crew.
Williams struggled to contain her emotions as she told viewers that NewsChopper4 had gone down shortly before 7 p.m. in Chatsworth.
Fellow NBC reporter Robert Kovacik, who has spent 22 years with the station, was reporting from the scene of the bus accident when his crew noticed thick black smoke rising nearby. He subsequently moved towards the crash site.
Kovacik was later seen in tears inside a Los Angeles Police Department vehicle as officials and emergency responders gathered at the scene.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass described the incident as a tragic day for the city and expressed condolences to those affected.
Following an evening news conference, Bass approached Kovacik and embraced him as colleagues and first responders offered their support.
The cause of the helicopter crash had not been established as of Wednesday.
Jeff Wald, a former news director at rival station KTLA, said the tragedy had resonated deeply within the city’s media industry because of the close relationships among newsroom staff and helicopter crews.
He said journalists and production teams often spend long hours, weekends and holidays together, creating relationships that extend beyond the workplace.
Other broadcasters also paid tribute to the victims and their colleagues at NBC Los Angeles.
KTLA anchor Frank Buckley described helicopter pilots and crews as vital members of television news organisations, while CNN anchor Elex Michaelson recalled his time as an intern at NBC4 and expressed sympathy for the station and the families of those who died.
The crash has also revived memories of an earlier tragedy involving a Los Angeles news helicopter.
In 1977, KNBC helicopter pilot Francis Gary Powers, a former US Air Force officer and CIA employee, and cameraman George Spears were killed when their Bell 206 helicopter crashed near Encino while returning from wildfire coverage in Santa Barbara.
The latest incident has renewed attention to the risks faced by journalists and pilots who use helicopters to cover major breaking news events.
CBS Los Angeles helicopter reporter Desmond Shaw, reflecting on the tragedy while reporting from his own aircraft, said the profession carries a difficult responsibility: journalists are expected to cover major events without becoming part of the story themselves.
In this case, he said, the NBC crew had tragically become part of the news they were covering.
