SHOCKING CCTV SHOWS NBC HELICOPTER PLUMMETING BEFORE BURSTING INTO FLAMES — THREE KILLED IN HORRIFIC LOS ANGELES CRASH

New surveillance footage has captured the terrifying final moments of an NBC news helicopter as it suddenly plunged toward the ground before disappearing behind buildings and erupting into flames.

The devastating crash happened in Chatsworth, Los Angeles, on Tuesday evening, September 15, while the helicopter was covering an earlier deadly traffic collision.

Three people were killed in the helicopter crash: NBC4 journalist Eliana Moreno, pilot George Marciniw and 29-year-old Edy Gutierrez Mejia, who was on the ground when the aircraft came down.

 NEW CCTV CAPTURES THE FINAL SECONDS

The newly released surveillance footage provides a different view of the disaster.

The helicopter can be seen rapidly descending behind a building and trees.

Seconds later, a huge cloud of smoke and flames rises from the crash site.

Former NTSB air-safety investigator Jeff Guzzetti told NBC that the footage could prove extremely important because it may help investigators establish the aircraft’s rate of descent and determine whether there was enough altitude and airspeed for the pilot to attempt an emergency autorotation.

Autorotation is an emergency maneuver that can allow a helicopter to make a controlled landing after a loss of engine power.

But investigators have not concluded that engine failure caused this crash.

 TERRIFYING VIDEO FROM INSIDE THE HELICOPTER

Even more revealing evidence came from the helicopter itself.

The aircraft had been transmitting live footage while Moreno and Marciniw were covering the earlier traffic crash.

In the recording, the helicopter initially appears stable over the scene.

Then something suddenly changes.

The sound of the aircraft appears to wind down, followed by an audible warning tone.

Moreno can then be heard asking:

“You can’t pull up?”

The camera begins moving downward rapidly before the recording ends.

NTSB investigator-in-charge Fabian Salazar said investigators could hear sounds consistent with the engine changing speed, along with tones that were likely cockpit warning advisories. He described the recording as “the most important piece of evidence” recovered so far.

THREE LIVES LOST

The helicopter was a Eurocopter AS350 B2 operated by Angel City Air.

On board were Moreno and Marciniw.

Moreno, known to viewers as “Eli in the Heli,” was a familiar voice in Southern California aerial news coverage.

She had worked alongside Marciniw since 2023, covering police pursuits, wildfires, severe weather and other breaking news from above Los Angeles.

Marciniw was an experienced pilot and flight instructor who had reportedly spent decades in aviation.

The third victim, Edy Gutierrez Mejia, 29, was on the ground when the helicopter crashed.

Gutierrez Mejia had arrived in Los Angeles from Cuilapa, Guatemala, earlier that same day for a short business trip. His family and community remembered him as a hardworking and cheerful man.

INVESTIGATORS ARE NOW PIEcing TOGETHER WHAT HAPPENED

The National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration are investigating the crash.

Investigators have examined the wreckage, reviewed video and audio recordings, spoken with witnesses and examined other evidence including maintenance records and weather information.

The wreckage has been transported to Phoenix for further examination.

Some aviation experts have raised the possibility of an engine-power problem and discussed whether the helicopter may have entered a dangerous low-altitude condition sometimes known as the “dead man’s curve.”

But these remain investigative possibilities — no official cause of the crash has yet been announced.

 A TRAGEDY THAT BEGAN WHILE COVERING ANOTHER TRAGEDY

The helicopter had been sent into the air to cover an earlier collision involving a Metro bus and an SUV.

Instead, the news crew suddenly became part of another devastating breaking-news story.

The crash left colleagues, viewers and the Southern California journalism community mourning two familiar figures who had spent years bringing breaking news to audiences from the sky.

Now, investigators are studying the final seconds captured by cameras both inside and outside the helicopter, hoping they will reveal exactly what happened.

A preliminary report is expected in the coming weeks, while the full investigation could take considerably longer.

The footage has provided investigators with crucial clues — but for the families of Eliana Moreno, George Marciniw and Edy Gutierrez Mejia, the most important answers are still to come.