NBC4 News Helicopter Crashes in Chatsworth, Killing 3 and Injuring at Least 2
A news helicopter providing aerial coverage for NBC4 and Telemundo 52 crashed Tuesday evening in Chatsworth, killing three people and injuring multiple others, authorities said, turning a busy commercial area about 25 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles into a charred investigation scene.
The aircraft went down just before 7 p.m. while it was on assignment, the stations said. The crash came as NBC4 crews were covering a deadly bus collision in the area; earlier in the evening, the station reported it had lost contact with its helicopter team.
NBC4 anchor Colleen Williams confirmed on air that the station’s helicopter crew was involved. In a joint statement, NBC4 and Telemundo 52 said they were “deeply saddened” and offered condolences to the families, friends and colleagues of those who died.
“We are deeply saddened to share that a helicopter providing aerial news coverage for NBC4 and Telemundo 52 was involved in a fatal accident in Los Angeles on Tuesday evening,” the stations said. “We extend our heartfelt condolences to the families, friends and colleagues of those who lost their lives.”
What caused the crash remains unknown, and authorities have not said how many people were aboard. Three people were pronounced dead at the scene, and at least two injured people were taken to a hospital, officials said at a late-night news conference. Officials did not release the victims’ identities.
One of the three deceased was a pedestrian who had been outside in a parking lot, Los Angeles Fire Department Capt. Branden Silverman told reporters. He said the Los Angeles Police Department helped pull that person away from the fire.
Silverman described the helicopter as “pretty well destroyed,” adding that investigators would need to search through the rubble to identify the victims and the aircraft.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said the National Transportation Safety Board would lead the investigation. An NTSB investigator was expected to arrive at the scene Wednesday morning, the agency told CNN.
“This is a very, very, very tragic day in Los Angeles,” Bass said at the scene, referring both to the fatal bus collision and the helicopter crash. “My heart certainly goes out to the family and friends of all of those that we lost.”
California Gov. Gavin Newsom also offered condolences, writing on Facebook: “Our hearts are with the victims and families of tonight’s devastating Metro bus and helicopter crashes in Chatsworth, and with the entire NBC4 family.”
The crash sparked a fire when it came down near several vehicles and two large cargo containers, according to the LAFD. Video from the scene showed flames and thick plumes of smoke rising from the wreckage. The fire was later extinguished.
Four vehicles and two storage containers were damaged, the department said. LAFD Capt. Rico Gross said more than 70 firefighters responded to the scene.
The FAA, which is also involved in the investigation, was contacted by CNN. According to FAA records, the aircraft was a Eurocopter AS350 B2 built in 2004, a popular single-engine utility helicopter.
“There are serious questions about what happened tonight,” Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath said at the news conference. “Tonight is not the time to speculate about those answers. Tonight is the time to care for the people who are hurting, to support our first responders and to stand together as a community.”
The crash deepened an already painful night in Chatsworth, where emergency crews were also responding to a deadly bus collision. It also highlighted the inherent risks broadcast news crews face when covering breaking stories from the air, often above fast-moving and chaotic scenes.
This story has been updated with additional information. CNN’s Josh Campbell, Aaron Cooper, Amanda Jackson, Blake Fogg and Diego Mendoza contributed to this report.