On Tuesday evening (September 15th), a helicopter carrying out a news coverage mission crashed and caught fire in Los Angeles, causing at least 3 deaths and 1 injury. The aircraft crew was in the air tracking and reporting on a fatal car accident nearby.
According to reports by the Associated Press, around 7 pm, the news helicopter belonging to the Los Angeles branch of the National Broadcasting Company (NBC4) crashed in the Chatsworth community of San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles. The crash site was between two commercial buildings. The helicopter crashed and immediately caught fire, spreading to the ground, affecting at least 4 cars and 2 storage containers. Over 70 firefighters were deployed by the local fire department to extinguish the blaze.
A spokesperson from the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) stated that the accident resulted in at least 3 fatalities, with one pedestrian in a parking lot next to a commercial building and the other two being onboard the helicopter. Another person was taken to the hospital with injuries of unknown severity. Due to the severe damage to the helicopter, rescue teams are still clearing the wreckage to further ascertain details.
NBC Los Angeles station (NBC4) subsequently confirmed that the crashed helicopter was their news helicopter “News Chopper 4,” operated by Angel City Air.
During the live breaking news broadcast that evening, NBC4 anchor Colleen Williams confirmed to viewers the news of their helicopter accident and stated that they needed a few minutes to process the information, leading to a brief interruption in the broadcast. NBC4 resumed regular programming around 9:40 pm.
Just about two hours before the helicopter crash, a collision occurred nearby in Chatsworth between an SUV and a Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) bus, resulting in at least 2 deaths and multiple injuries. Photos from the scene showed a part of the SUV embedded in the side of the public bus.
At the time, several television station helicopters, including “News Chopper 4,” were reporting on the accident in Chatsworth. Subsequently, “News Chopper 4” crashed about 2.4 kilometers away from the scene of the car accident.
Currently, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) have initiated investigations and plan to send investigators to the crash site on the 16th. Officials have not yet disclosed the specific cause of the crash.