Updates on LA helicopter crash as victims are identified

Two of the victims of a deadly news helicopter crash in Los Angeles on Sept. 15 have been identified as a journalist and a pilot affiliated with NBC 4.

The helicopter, NewsChopper4 operated by Angel City Air, crashed just before 7 p.m. in Chatsworth, a suburban neighborhood of Los Angeles County. The chopper went down between two commercial buildings, killing three people, authorities said.

Journalist Eliana Moreno, who reported from the air for NBC 4 Los Angeles and Telemundo 52, and pilot George Marciniw, who had been flying together since 2023, were killed, according to NBC 4.

The third victim was described as a pedestrian on the ground. Los Angeles County identified the man as Edy Gutierrez Mejia, 29.

The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating, and a cause for the crash is not yet known.

Here's what we know about the crash:

The Los Angeles Fire Department said the helicopter crashed shortly before 7 p.m. local time on Sept. 15, before bursting into flames. Vehicles on the ground also caught fire. According to the FAA, the helicopter was a Eurocopter AS350.

In addition to the three people killed, two others were transported to a…

Original source: https://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/