FROM COVERING A TRAGEDY TO BECOMING PART OF IT — LOS ANGELES TELEVISION MOURNS THE LOSS OF ELIANA MORENO AND GEORGE MARCINIW

A breaking-news assignment ended in an unimaginable tragedy Tuesday night when veteran aerial reporter Eliana Moreno and experienced pilot George Marciniw were killed after the news helicopter they were working aboard crashed in Chatsworth, Los Angeles.

The two had taken to the skies to do what they had done countless times before: bring breaking news to viewers across Southern California.

This time, they never made it home.

THEY WERE COVERING ANOTHER DEADLY CRASH

The NewsChopper4 helicopter, operated by Angel City Air and providing aerial coverage for NBC4 Los Angeles and Telemundo 52, was flying over the scene of a deadly collision involving a Metro bus and an SUV when the second tragedy unfolded.

The helicopter crashed shortly before 7 p.m. on September 15, 2026, in the 9100 block of North Mason Avenue in Chatsworth.

It went down between commercial buildings and a fire broke out following the impact. Four vehicles and two storage containers were damaged, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.

Moreno and Marciniw were killed in the crash, along with 29-year-old Edy Gutierrez Mejia, who was on the ground.

Two other people were taken to a hospital.

The crash occurred while the helicopter was covering an earlier collision that had already claimed two lives, turning one breaking-news assignment into a devastating chain of tragedies.

“ELI IN THE HELI”

To viewers, Eliana Moreno was more than a reporter.

Known affectionately as “Eli in the Heli,” she became a familiar voice from above, bringing live coverage of police pursuits, wildfires, traffic incidents and other breaking news throughout Southern California.

Moreno and Marciniw had worked together in the air since 2023, building hundreds of hours of experience as a team.

Their work took them above some of Los Angeles’ most dramatic moments, including the devastating wildfires of January 2025.

But they also captured the beauty of Southern California from the sky, giving viewers a perspective few journalists could provide.

Moreno was a graduate of Chapman University, where she studied television broadcast journalism and social science.

She was also engaged to be married and was known among friends and followers for her love of animals.

Her colleagues remembered her as someone who brought warmth and energy to her work.

One colleague described Moreno as “such a light” with a huge heart as tributes poured in following the crash.

 GEORGE MARCINIW: DECADES IN THE SKY

Marciniw was a highly experienced pilot who had spent decades flying over Southern California.

He grew up in the region and graduated from Burbank High School in 1974.

Beyond his work as a news pilot, Marciniw also served as an instructor, helping train future pilots.

Colleagues remembered him as a respected professional who had spent years documenting major events across Los Angeles from the air.

For Moreno and Marciniw, the helicopter had become their workplace, their vantage point and, in many ways, their shared connection to the community they served.

 THE FINAL MOMENTS REMAIN UNDER INVESTIGATION

The cause of the crash has not been officially determined.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) are investigating.

Investigators are examining the helicopter, available video and other evidence as they work to establish what happened in the final moments before the aircraft went down.

Footage from the helicopter has emerged as potentially important evidence. It reportedly captured an audible cockpit alarm and Moreno expressing concern shortly before the crash.

Experts have discussed several possible mechanical scenarios, including a loss of engine power or rotor speed, but none has been established as the official cause.

NTSB investigators have emphasized that the investigation remains in its early stages.

 THE IMAGES THEY ONCE BROUGHT INTO HOMES ARE NOW PART OF THEIR LEGACY

For years, Moreno and Marciniw appeared on television when Southern California was experiencing some of its most urgent moments.

They flew above fires.

They followed breaking developments.

They showed viewers what was happening when people on the ground could not see the full picture.

On September 15, they went into the sky once again to tell another story.

Instead, the story became about them.

Two journalists who spent their careers documenting tragedy became victims of one themselves — leaving behind grieving families, stunned colleagues and viewers who had come to recognize the familiar voices of “Eli in the Heli” and the pilot beside her.

The investigation continues, but the loss is already being felt throughout the Los Angeles television community.

Eliana Moreno and George Marciniw went to work that night to bring the news home to Southern California. They never got the chance to return home themselves.