NBC NEWS HELICOPTER WAS ‘HOVERING LOW’ BEFORE BURSTING INTO FIREBALL — PILOT’S FINAL MOMENTS CAPTURED ON AUDIO

A tragic NBC news helicopter crash in Los Angeles has raised new questions after witnesses said the aircraft appeared to be hovering unusually low shortly before it suddenly lost altitude and crashed into a fiery explosion.

The crash killed three people, including veteran NBC Los Angeles reporter Eliana Moreno and pilot George Marciniw, as well as a man on the ground.

The helicopter was covering an earlier traffic crash in the Chatsworth area when the fatal accident unfolded shortly before 7 p.m. on Tuesday, September 15, 2026. Federal investigators are now working to determine exactly what went wrong.

THE FINAL SECONDS WERE CAPTURED ON VIDEO

NewsChopper4 had been providing aerial coverage of a serious bus crash when footage from inside the helicopter suddenly became unstable.

The aircraft appeared to be hovering over the scene before the camera began shaking violently.

The helicopter then appeared to lose altitude rapidly.

An audio recording obtained by The U.S. Sun captured a warning sound and the crew reacting in the final moments.

Pilot George Marciniw could be heard shouting an expletive, while reporter Eliana Moreno was heard asking, “You can’t pull up?”

The helicopter crashed just moments later.

Ground footage showed the aircraft engulfed in flames after striking an area containing shipping containers and vehicles.

WITNESSES SAY THE HELICOPTER WAS FLYING LOW

A witness who spoke to The U.S. Sun said the helicopter had been “hovering low” over an industrial area while covering the earlier crash.

Another source familiar with the incident suggested the aircraft may have been flying at a dangerously low altitude.

However, those claims have not been established as the official cause of the accident.

Aviation experts reviewing the available footage have instead focused on what appears to be a sudden mechanical problem.

The Los Angeles Times reported that experts reviewing the recording heard an alarm that could potentially indicate low main-rotor RPM or a hydraulic problem. They also noted a sound suggesting the helicopter’s engine or mechanical system was winding down.

WHY LOW ALTITUDE COULD HAVE MATTERED

If a helicopter experiences an engine failure, pilots can use a procedure known as autorotation to maintain rotor speed and attempt a controlled landing.

But the maneuver requires enough altitude and appropriate airspeed to give the pilot time to establish control.

Experts interviewed by the Los Angeles Times said the helicopter’s apparent low-altitude hover could have made the situation particularly difficult if the aircraft suddenly experienced a mechanical failure.

The National Transportation Safety Board has also indicated that investigators are examining the video and other evidence from the final moments.

The exact mechanical failure, if there was one, remains undetermined.

THREE PEOPLE LOST THEIR LIVES

The two people aboard the NBC4 helicopter were Eliana Moreno and George Marciniw.

A third person, identified by the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner as 29-year-old Edy Gutierrez Mejia, was on the ground when the helicopter crashed. He died from blunt head trauma, according to the medical examiner’s office.

Another person on the ground was taken to hospital in serious condition.

The crash site quickly became a major emergency response, with firefighters battling flames around the wreckage.

ELiana MORENO’S DREAM WAS TELEVISION JOURNALISM

Moreno was a well-known reporter who had dreamed of becoming a television journalist since childhood.

She joined Angel City Air, the company operating the helicopter for NBC4, in 2010 and began flying alongside Marciniw in 2023.

She had reported from the air on major breaking-news events and had received recognition for her journalism.

Her death sent shockwaves through NBC Los Angeles and the wider Southern California news community.

GEORGE MARCINiW WAS A VETERAN PILOT

Marciniw had decades of aviation experience.

NBC4 reporter Jonathan Gonzalez said Marciniw graduated from Burbank High School in 1974 and spent many years teaching others how to fly.

He owned helicopters and operated an aviation business from Whiteman Airport.

He and Moreno had worked together for years, frequently documenting their aerial assignments.

One of Marciniw’s social-media posts from 2025 showed him flying with Moreno, reflecting the professional partnership that had developed between the two.

NBC4 HAD TO BREAK THE NEWS OF ITS OWN TRAGEDY

Perhaps one of the most emotional moments came when NBC4 itself learned that its helicopter had gone down.

Anchor Colleen Williams struggled to contain her emotions while telling viewers that the station had lost contact with its crew.

She explained that the newsroom initially knew only that a news helicopter had crashed.

The station later confirmed that its own aircraft and colleagues were involved.

The broadcast briefly went dark as the newsroom processed the devastating news.

FEDERAL INVESTIGATION UNDERWAY

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

Investigators are examining video recorded from the helicopter, surveillance footage from nearby buildings and other evidence that could reveal what happened during the final moments.

The NTSB has not announced a definitive cause.

For now, the questions remain focused on why the helicopter suddenly began losing altitude and whether a mechanical problem, flight conditions or another factor contributed to the crash.

What is already clear is that a routine assignment covering breaking news turned into a tragedy of its own.

Eliana Moreno and George Marciniw had gone into the air to report on a story unfolding below them. Instead, their final flight became the story — leaving their colleagues, families and the Los Angeles news community mourning two journalists whose lives were dedicated to bringing breaking news to the public.