NTSB Calls Live‑Feed Video the Key Piece of Evidence in NBC4 Helicopter Crash

On the evening of September 15, 2026, a sleek Eurocopter AS350 B2 belonging to Angel City Air descended over Chatsworth, Los Angeles, to cover a horrific SUV‑versus‑Metro‑bus collision. Inside the cabin were veteran pilot George Marciniw and NBC4 reporter Eliana Moreno, both of whom were live‑streaming the scene for viewers back home.

At about 6:58 p.m., the helicopter clipped a low‑lying structure and spiraled between two commercial buildings at 9151 Mason Avenue. The impact killed both crew members and a 29‑year‑old pedestrian, Edy Gutierrez Mejia, while two other by‑standers were injured.

What makes this tragedy different from many others is the video captured in real time by Moreno’s handheld camera. "The video that was actually taken while the reporter was doing live coverage is probably the most important evidence we have discovered so far," said NTSB investigator‑in‑charge Fabian Salazar at a press conference Wednesday.

In the footage, the camera pulls back just as a series of alarm tones swell. Moreno’s voice, strained but clear, asks, "You can’t pull up?" Moments later the screen fades to black. The audio, however, continues: a low‑rotor‑RPM warning, engine‑speed fluctuations, and what sound‑engineers believe are advisory beeps aimed at the pilot.

Because the AS350 was not equipped with a flight‑data recorder, investigators are leaning heavily on that shaky‑handed recording. Salazar explained that the NTSB is requesting a “pristine copy” of the video so that it can be run through a sound‑spectrum analysis in their laboratory, hoping to tease out the exact sequence of mechanical failures.

Aviation safety analyst Jeff Guzzetti weighed in, noting that the alarm pattern resembles a classic loss‑of‑rotor‑speed warning – a sign the main rotor was no longer turning fast enough to keep the aircraft aloft. "It has all the earmarks of a potential loss of engine power and a dangerous decrease in the main rotor speed," he said, before cautioning that it does not yet establish a cause.

The NTSB, together with the FAA, is also scouring nearby surveillance cameras, poring over maintenance logs, weather reports, and the pilot’s training records. The wreckage has been moved to a secure facility for a more detailed forensic examination.

Preliminary findings are slated for release in about a month, with a final report – which will officially name the probable cause – possibly taking up to 18 months. In the meantime, families of the victims and the news community are left waiting for answers, hoping that the flickering, grainy clip will finally illuminate what went terribly wrong.