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Chaos in the Sky: NBC Helicopter's Final Moments Revealed

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A livestream from the NBC news helicopter that crashed and burst into flames in LA showed its final moments as it violently shook and fell from the sky, killing someone on the ground along with both staffers onboard.

A horn warning highly experienced pilot George Marciniw that the aircraft was stalling wailed as its engine slowed – seconds before disaster on Tuesday, harrowing video which surfaced online shows.

“Uh, oh,” veteran NBC4 Los Angeles aerial reporter Eliana Moreno shouted, reacting to the alarm.

Video still from inside a KNBC news helicopter during its final moments before crashing, showing the ground accelerating rapidly below under a fading sunset.

The NBC helicopter which crashed in Los Angeles Tuesday violently shook before the smash. KNBC

BREAKING: TV news helicopter crashes during live shot of bus crash in Los Angeles.

The helicopter belongs to NBC Los Angeles (KNBC-TV). No word yet on casualties. pic.twitter.com/kXwgr5meOP

— BNO News (@BNONews) September 16, 2026

The helicopter’s low rotor RPM annunciator horn blared for a couple of seconds before the chopper lost altitude.

“Pull,” a panicked Moreno said. “You can’t pull up?”

There was a violent shaking on the livestream and the siren wailed once again before the feed cut out — seemingly at the point the helicopter crashed near some Chatsworth warehouses at around 7 p.m. 

Horrified witnesses told how the helicopter’s sudden drop in altitude was unusual.

“I saw the helicopter – something didn’t look right,” Zareh Sevanesian told NBC News.

“And I told my wife, ‘That helicopter is not flying right.’”

NBC4 reporter Eliana Moreno wearing a headset in a helicopter.

NBC4 reporter Eliana Moreno was killed in the fiery crash. Eliana Moreno / Facebook

Marciniw, who had logged more than 14,000 hours in the helicopter, and Moreno were killed, as was a pedestrian on the ground.

An explosion sent residents fleeing and they darted for cover to avoid being hit by shrapnel. 

The crash also resulted in a huge fire and four vehicles caught fire. 

An aerial view of a pick-up truck and a pile of debris on fire next to two shipping containers.

The helicopter burst into flames and nearby vehicles also caught fire.

Pilot George Marciniw and reporter Eliana Moreno smiling in front of a helicopter at night.

Pilot George Marciniw and reporter Eliana Moreno in Los Angeles. George Marciniw / Facebook

“It was one of the most violent fires I have ever seen,” Sevanesian said.

He recalled how three people nearby were “screaming uncontrollably,” horrified by what had happened.

Moreno and Marciniw were up in the air covering a deadly bus crash that happened nearby.

The cause of the crash is being investigated but Zoey Tur, a veteran helicopter pilot, said the signs pointed towards an engine failure.


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