CHATSWORTH (CNS and The SFV Sun/el Sol) – The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) released its preliminary findings Tuesday, Oct. 6, into the helicopter crash that killed pilot George Marciniw, news reporter Eliana Moreno and Edy Gutierrez Mejia, 29, who was on the ground. The chopper crew was covering a collision that plowed into a Metro bus in Chatsworth that killed two people.
The preliminary report appeared to confirm much of the information previously reported and did not provide a conclusive cause. A final report with a probable cause is expected in about 17 months.
The crash of NewsChopper4 occurred just before 7 p.m. on Sept. 15. The aircraft went down between two commercial buildings at 9151 Mason Ave., near Nordhoff Street, the Los Angeles Fire Department reported.
Moreno and Marciniw were killed while working to provide news coverage for NBC4 and its Spanish-language sister station, Telemundo 52. They were aboard the helicopter owned and operated by Angel City Air.
A worker at a warehouse near the site of the helicopter crash, who was in the parking lot at the time of the crash, was taken to a hospital but suffered no serious injuries.
According to the NTSB report, the doomed Airbus AS350 B2 helicopter departed Whiteman Airport in Pacoima at about 6:25 p.m., traveled west for nine miles at an average altitude of 1,600 feet above mean sea level, then maneuvered above the crash scene for about an hour and 25 minutes.
“During the last minute of the flight, the helicopter was about … 800 feet above ground level and decelerated to about six knots ground speed,” the report states. “A four-minute, 21-[second] long video recording of the traffic accident was taken by the onboard news reporter. The recording also captured ambient helicopter noise that included sounds from both the main rotor and engine. During most of the recording, the ambient helicopter noise remained consistent with normal operations. During the last 29 seconds of the flight, the recording captured the helicopter noise as it changed frequency, along with intermittent and continuous horns…”
While turning right, the copter began descending rapidly, according to data reviewed by investigators. It then plunged swiftly to the ground.
Security video cameras on nearby buildings recorded the helicopter as it descended and struck a metal storage container and burst into flames, according to the NTSB.
The helicopter came to rest partially on its right side, with crash debris scattered about 30 feet around the main wreckage.
“The fuselage, in its entirety, was mostly reduced to ash and thermally damaged metal,” the report states, adding that the tail boom “separated but remained next to the fuselage” while both main and tail rotor assemblies remained attached at their respective mounting assemblies.
The helicopter was taken to a secure location as the investigation continued.
The full preliminary report can be found at https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/Pages/WPR26FA345.aspx.
NTSB investigator-in-charge Fabian Salazar had earlier said video from the cockpit would likely be the most important piece of evidence in the investigation.
The video, posted online, shows the camera zooming out, and several alarms apparently indicative of an engine failure can be heard as the chopper begins falling. Moreno can be heard saying, “You can’t pull up?” before the video goes black.
That recording was to be sent out for a sound spectrum analysis, Salazar had said, adding, “Because in that recording, we are clearly hearing sounds that are consistent with the engine changing its speed. And we’re also hearing tones that are being generated that are likely advisories to the pilot.”
Salazar said the helicopter was not believed to have been equipped with a flight data recorder.
As many anxiously await the final report, NTSB investigators must perform extensive laboratory testing, analyze complex mechanical components and reconstruct the complete sequence of events. The final report also includes safety recommendations that require peer review.