Coroner reveals causes of death in Los Angeles news helicopter crash

The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner has ruled the causes of death for the two NBC crew members killed when their news helicopter crashed in the Chatsworth neighbourhood of Los Angeles on 15 September.

Pilot George Marciniw, 70, died of blunt force trauma when the aircraft fell from the sky and crashed near a Chatsworth warehouse, the medical examiner said, the New York Post reported on 22 September. Aerial reporter Eliana Moreno, 38, died of blunt force trauma along with “thermal injuries and inhalation of products of combustion”, the medical examiner said, the Post reported on 21 September. Both deaths were ruled accidents. The third victim, 29-year-old bystander Edy Gutierrez Mejia, a tourist from Guatemala, died of blunt head trauma after being struck by the helicopter on the ground.

The Eurocopter AS350, known as NewsChopper4 and operated by Angel City Air for NBC4 and Telemundo 52, went down shortly before 7pm local time on Tuesday while covering a fatal collision between an SUV and a Metro bus, CNN reported. The helicopter burst into flames on impact in a business parking lot, setting fire to at least four cars and two storage containers. Two bystanders were taken to hospital with minor complaints, USA Today reported.

Moreno and Marciniw were employees of Angel City Air and had flown together since 2023. The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration are investigating the cause of the crash. NTSB investigator-in-charge Fabian Salazar called the helicopter’s own live news video “probably the most important evidence” investigators had found, CNN reported.

Separately, the driver involved in the bus crash, 36-year-old Bailee Lynn Rios, has been charged with two counts of second-degree murder. Prosecutors said she was impaired by drugs, ran a red light and struck a city bus, killing riders Daniel Castillo, 46, and Gage Weida, 31, the Associated Press reported on 18 September.

Sources

• New York Post: “Official cause of death revealed for NBC helicopter pilot George Marciniw in horrific crash” — https://nypost.com/2026/09/22/us-news/cause-of-death-revealed-for-nbc-helicopter-pilot-after-la-crash/
• New York Post: “Coroner provides official cause of death for NBC reporter Eliana Moreno after horrific helicopter crash” — https://nypost.com/2026/09/21/us-news/eliana-morenos-cause-of-death-revealed-after-nbc-helicopter-crash/
• CNN: “Los Angeles reporter and pilot among 3 dead after news helicopter crashes” — https://www.cnn.com/2026/09/15/us/helicopter-crash-los-angeles-hnk?cid=external-feeds_iluminar_meta
• CNN: “An engaged reporter, a soon-to-retire pilot and a young tourist: What we know about the L.A. helicopter crash victims” — https://www.cnn.com/2026/09/17/us/la-helicopter-crash-victims?cid=external-feeds_iluminar_meta
• USA Today: “News helicopter crashes in Los Angeles, killing at least 3” — https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2026/09/15/los-angeles-helicopter-crash-chatsworth/91786617007/
• Associated Press (via WAMC): “The driver who slammed into an LA bus before helicopter crash is charged with murder” — https://www.wamc.org/2026-09-18/the-driver-who-slammed-into-an-la-bus-before-helicopter-crash-is-charged-with-murder