Witness Describes Erratic Movements of NBC Helicopter Before Fatal Crash
An eyewitness reported the helicopter was 'swaying' before losing altitude and crashing in a Los Angeles parking lot, killing three people.
A witness has described the "bizarre movements" of an NBC helicopter moments before it crashed into a Los Angeles parking lot, killing its two occupants and a pedestrian.
"Something didn’t look right," said Zareh Sevanesian, who observed the helicopter Tuesday evening in Chatsworth. "I told my wife, that helicopter’s not flying right. It was swaying and all of the sudden it started losing altitude. It just kept getting lower and lower and lower and lower."
Sevanesian said he lost sight of the helicopter behind buildings before witnessing a large plume of smoke and flames erupt from the parking lot of a storage business.
The aircraft crashed shortly before 7 p.m. The deceased have been identified as pilot George Marciniw, NBC4 and Telemundo 52 journalist Eliana Moreno, and pedestrian Edy Gutierrez Mejia, 19.
Marciniw and Moreno had been assigned to cover a separate fatal collision involving a Metro bus and an SUV in Chatsworth that occurred earlier the same afternoon. The helicopter had departed from a nearby airport around 5:20 p.m., approximately 20 minutes after the bus crash was reported. Its signal was lost just before 7 p.m.
A livestream from the helicopter captured its final moments, with a warning horn sounding and the aircraft appearing to struggle. Moreno can be heard on the recording saying, "Uh, oh," as the alarm sounded. The helicopter's low rotor RPM annunciator horn could be heard for several seconds before the aircraft began to descend. Moreno's voice is heard asking, "You can’t pull up?" The livestream then showed the helicopter shaking violently before the warning sounded again and the feed terminated abruptly.
The impact of the crash ignited an intense fire that engulfed four vehicles. Nearby residents reported fleeing the area and taking cover from flying debris.
"It was one of the most violent fires I have ever seen," Sevanesian commented, recalling three people nearby who were "screaming uncontrollably" after witnessing the event.
Colleen Williams, an NBC4 anchor, announced the loss of "valued friends and colleagues" during the station's 11 p.m. newscast. Both NBC4 and Telemundo 52 issued statements expressing their profound sadness and offering condolences to the families, friends, and colleagues of those who died.
Investigators are currently working to determine the cause of the crash.
