NBC4 Helicopter Crashes in Chatsworth, Killing 3

Newly released video shows the terrifying final seconds before an NBC4 news helicopter suddenly lost altitude and crashed Tuesday night, killing its two-person crew and a man on the ground in Chatsworth, California.

The footage, obtained by NBCLA from a nearby building, captures the Airbus helicopter hovering over an intersection before it abruptly began dropping toward the ground.

The helicopter had been covering a deadly crash involving an SUV and a Metro bus when it went down in the parking lot of a self-storage business. The new video offers only a partial view of the descent because a building blocks the camera’s view of the helicopter’s final moments. Flames and thick smoke can be seen erupting from behind the building after the crash, with emergency crews arriving moments later.

Reporter Eliana Moreno, 38, and pilot George Marciniw were killed in the crash. Edy Gutierrez Mejia, 29, who was on the ground, also died.

Federal investigators are probing whether the helicopter suffered an engine or mechanical failure. The video also appears to show that the helicopter did not simply run out of fuel. Smoke emerged roughly 20 seconds after impact, while the first flames appeared about 50 seconds after the crash.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has urged anyone with video from the crash scene to come forward as investigators work to piece together the helicopter’s final moments.