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An NBC News helicopter has crashed in Los Angeles while reporting on a bus accident, resulting in the deaths of three individuals and injuries to two others.
A local NBC News helicopter crashed in a Los Angeles neighborhood on Tuesday while covering a nearby bus accident, resulting in the deaths of at least three individuals.
The helicopter crashed near a sizable storage facility in Chatsworth, located in the San Fernando Valley, just before 7pm, as reported by officials and the station.
The crash took place approximately 1.5 miles from the site of a previous collision involving an SUV and a city bus, resulting in the deaths of at least two individuals and injuries to six others.
Colleen Williams, an anchor for NBC4 Los Angeles, confirmed in a live broadcast that the station's helicopter had crashed, resulting in the deaths of two individuals on board.
“We will take a few moments to reflect on that and process it,” she stated.
Moments later, the station suddenly interrupted its coverage.
Officials from the Los Angeles Fire Department reported that at least one individual who lost their life in the helicopter crash was located outside the aircraft, in a parking lot adjacent to the commercial building.
Two additional individuals were transported to the hospital, though their conditions were not immediately clear.
“From the helicopter itself, it’s quite extensively damaged,” said Capt. Branden Silverman, a spokesperson for the Los Angeles Fire Department.
We will need to sift through the debris to determine the number of victims on board and identify the helicopter, as the tail is not visible.
Following the helicopter crash, at least four cars and two storage containers on the ground were engulfed in flames. Firefighters swiftly extinguished the flames, with over 70 responders arriving at the scene.
NBC confirmed that the helicopter in question was NewsChopper4, operated by Angel City Air and utilized by NBC4 Los Angeles and Telemundo 52.
The helicopter crashed while multiple television news crews were reporting on the earlier bus accident.
Approximately two hours prior to the helicopter crash, an SUV struck the center of a city bus, resulting in the deaths of at least two individuals and injuring six others.
Images and videos from the scene depicted a portion of the SUV embedded in the side of an MTA bus.
NBC4 and Telemundo 52 Los Angeles expressed their profound sorrow in a statement regarding the helicopter crash, offering sincere condolences to the families, friends, and colleagues of the victims.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass conveyed her condolences in response to the two crashes.
“The loss of five individuals from Los Angeles is deeply sorrowful,” Bass stated. “I understand that this Chatsworth community has been deeply affected and will be in mourning for an extended period.”
California Governor Gavin Newsom expressed gratitude to the emergency crews responding to both incidents, stating, "Our hearts are with the victims and families.”
The National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration announced they will investigate the cause of the helicopter crash, with an investigator anticipated to arrive at the scene on Wednesday.
Federal accident records and news reports indicate that there have been at least eight fatal crashes involving news helicopters in the United States since 2000, resulting in the deaths of 16 individuals.
Included are a 2023 crash in a New Jersey forest that resulted in the deaths of a pilot and photographer aboard a helicopter utilized by Philadelphia station WPVI, as well as a 2022 crash near an interstate in Charlotte, North Carolina, which claimed the lives of a pilot and meteorologist during a training flight for WBTV.
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