They were covering a fatal bus crash in Los Angeles when their NBC LA helicopter went down, killing reporter Eliana Moreno and pilot George Marciniw. On the ground, a third person, Gutierrez Mejia, was also killed. The crash footage was harrowing, with numerous warning sirens blaring to signal a serious mechanical issue. Now, we have the audio, where Moreno appears to be asking Marciniw if they’re unable to pull up as the aircraft was crashing toward the ground (via LA Times):
BREAKING: Media helicopter crashes live on air in Los Angeles; large fire seen pic.twitter.com/eKtCXb5ZeM
— Intel Point Alert (@IntelPointAlert) September 16, 2026
Dramatic footage shows news crews swarming scene attempting to gather information pic.twitter.com/bkFwQhABNy
— Intel Point Alert (@IntelPointAlert) September 16, 2026
Air traffic control audio captures the moments surrounding a fiery helicopter crash in Los Angeles that killed three people and injured two others. Pilot George Marciniw and reporter Eliana Moreno are among those killed, according to initial reports.
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) September 16, 2026
An emotional fellow pilot… pic.twitter.com/9CnIhqMoXw
Investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration on Wednesday were trying to determine exactly what caused the news helicopter, a Eurocopter AS350 B2, to go down.
NTSB Investigator Fabian Salazar said officials are searching through the wreckage, combing through maintenance logbooks, security footage, weather reports, witness interviews and reviewing the pilot’s training to figure out what went wrong.
But the most critical information so far has been audio captured from the helicopter during a live broadcast of reporter Eliana Moreno and pilot George Marciniw’s final moments before it crashed.
The footage shows an aerial view of the bus crash with the whirl of the helicopter in the background. Suddenly, the sound of the engine’s motor winds down and a horn blares, possibly warning the pilot that the main rotor speed had dropped too low or the helicopter had lost hydraulics. Moreno responds to the noise with a quiet “uh oh.”
The angle of the camera begins to descend and Moreno is heard asking “You can’t pull up?” before the video cuts out. Moreno, Marciniw and 29-year-old Edy Gutierrez Mejia, who was on the ground when the chopper went down around 7 p.m., were killed.
“That video is probably the most important piece of evidence we have recovered so far,” Salazar said.
The chopper was covering a bus that crashed into an SUV in the San Fernando Valley, which also killed two people.
At the end of Eyewitness News at 11pm, ABC7 anchor Marc Brown offered a final word on the difficult evening of reporting on the KNBC helicopter crash Tuesday night. https://t.co/QRoOyH2Ax7 pic.twitter.com/vnwSZbiFOj
— ABC7 Eyewitness News (@ABC7) September 16, 2026
Tributes and condolences were shared, and thoughts and prayers are with the families of all the victims. This is truly awful.
RIP sis 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻❤️❤️❤️❤️ I will love you to the end of time
— Johan Moreno (@dudejohan) September 17, 2026
My family and I just went through the worst day of our lives. We appreciate all the support and love.
That being said, at this time, our family and her fiancé are not collecting monetary donations. Any online donation… pic.twitter.com/YQfGwiflOa
Editor's Note: Do you enjoy Townhall's conservative reporting that takes on the radical Left and woke media? Support our work so that we can continue to bring you the truth.
Join Townhall VIP and use promo code FIGHT to receive 60% off your membership.
Join the Conversation
VIP members get the ability to comment on articles.