Los Angeles Mourns Three Lives Lost in News Helicopter Crash
Sandego.net – A routine aerial assignment over Los Angeles ended in tragedy Tuesday evening when a news helicopter crashed in a commercial area of the city, killing the two-person flight crew and a tourist who had arrived in Los Angeles only hours earlier.
The victims were aerial journalist Eliana Moreno, veteran pilot George Marciniw and Edy Gutierrez Mejia, a young visitor from Guatemala. The helicopter fell into a business parking lot while covering a deadly bus collision in Chatsworth, a suburban community roughly 25 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles. At least two additional people were hospitalized with injuries, officials said.
The Eurocopter AS350 was operating for NBC4 and Telemundo 52. Moreno and Marciniw worked for Angel City Air, the aircraft operator, and had flown assignments together since 2023. Their work routinely brought live images and reporting from above scenes involving brush fires, shootings, pursuits and other breaking news events across the region.
Video captured from the aircraft during its descent appears to include an engine-power loss and an alert related to slowing main rotor blades, aviation correspondent Pete Muntean said in an analysis. The National Transportation Safety Board has opened an investigation. Its preliminary findings are expected within 30 days, while a final determination of probable cause could require as long as 18 months.
Eliana Moreno brought energy to aerial reporting
Moreno had built her career around a childhood ambition to become a television reporter. Her colleague Lynette Romero described her on Wednesday as someone who had “always wanted to be a news reporter.”
Born in Orange County, Moreno graduated from Chapman University in 2010, earning degrees in broadcast journalism and political science. She joined Angel City Air in September of that year and went on to report for regional media organizations. In 2023, she received the Radio and Television News Association of Southern California’s award for Best TV Continuing Coverage.
Her social media presence offered viewers a glimpse of the distinctive demands of airborne newsgathering. Using the name eli_in_the_heli, Moreno shared how she handled a camera mounted at the front of the helicopter while narrating the scene below as the pilot maneuvered the aircraft.
Friends and coworkers remembered a reporter with a deep enthusiasm for both her craft and the people around her. Romero recalled a behind-the-scenes visit to the helicopter in which Moreno eagerly explained the aircraft and its equipment to colleagues.
“She was just such a light, such a spark plug,” Romero said. “She’s teeny-tiny but she had the biggest heart and enthusiasm, it was really contagious.”
Moreno came from a large family that took great pride in seeing her work in her hometown. Outside of journalism, she enjoyed line dancing, running and caring for animals. She had dogs and chickens, and described herself online as a dog and chicken mom.
She was also engaged. Her social media posts showed an engagement ring and references to her fiancé, whose own profile reflected their relationship. In May, Moreno celebrated finishing a half-marathon in less than two hours with her fiancé, writing that she achieved the goal despite having asthma. Photographs from the event showed the pair wearing their medals.
An October trip to Tennessee appeared to mark the couple’s engagement. Moreno posted video from the journey while displaying her ring and wrote that she would remember the trip for the rest of her life.
George Marciniw was nearing retirement
Marciniw was an experienced pilot who had spent years working toward retirement. Instead of entering that long-awaited period of life, he was killed while carrying out an assignment alongside Moreno.
The two colleagues had developed a close professional partnership after beginning to fly together in 2023. Their social media accounts reflected years of shared work, including photographs from assignments and time spent in the helicopter.
Aerial crews operate in a uniquely demanding environment. Pilots must safely manage flight conditions, airspace and rapidly changing events below, while reporters are responsible for describing unfolding news and capturing visuals from the aircraft. The loss of Marciniw and Moreno has left colleagues and viewers grieving not only the crash, but also the absence of two people whose work was closely tied to the daily life of Southern California.
A visitor’s trip ended abruptly
Gutierrez Mejia had traveled from Guatemala and had reached Los Angeles just hours before the crash. He was fatally struck when the helicopter came down in the parking lot.
His death underscores the broad reach of a disaster that began with an airborne emergency but affected people far beyond the flight crew. What should have been the beginning of a visit to Los Angeles became a devastating loss for family members and loved ones.
For the families of all three victims, the coming months will unfold alongside the federal investigation into what caused the aircraft to fall. Investigators will examine the wreckage, the helicopter’s maintenance history, the flight and any available recordings as they work to establish the sequence of events.
Moreno’s planned wedding, Marciniw’s approaching retirement and Gutierrez Mejia’s newly begun trip were each separate next chapters. The crash brought those futures to an abrupt end, leaving colleagues, relatives and a wider Los Angeles audience to remember three lives cut short.
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