A routine news assignment over Chatsworth, Los Angeles, turned into a devastating tragedy on September 15, 2026. An NBC Los Angeles helicopter operated by Angel City Air crashed while covering an earlier Metro bus collision, killing aerial photojournalist Eliana “Eli” Moreno, pilot George Marciniw, and a person on the ground. Moreno had spent years working in aerial journalism and was familiar to viewers of NBC4 and Telemundo 52, while Marciniw was an experienced helicopter pilot with more than 14,000 flight hours, according to reports. The two had reportedly worked together for several years, making the loss especially difficult for their colleagues and loved ones. As the newsrooms mourned, attention quickly turned to footage apparently captured from inside the helicopter during its final moments. The video shows the aircraft covering the accident below before its movement changes and it begins losing altitude. A voice believed to be Moreno’s can be heard asking, “What? You can’t pull up?” before the recording ends.

The audio and footage have raised questions about what happened in those final seconds, but they do not establish the cause of the crash. Veteran helicopter pilot Zoey Tur suggested that sounds in the recording could be consistent with an engine failure, although that remains a preliminary observation rather than an official finding. The National Transportation Safety Board is leading the investigation, while the Federal Aviation Administration is also reviewing the flight and related compliance matters. Away from her career, Moreno was remembered through details from her life, including her love of dogs, chickens, and time spent with family and friends. Her colleagues described her and Marciniw as people who loved their work and dedicated years to aerial news coverage. Now, investigators are working to understand what happened, while those who knew the pair are left remembering the lives behind the helicopter that viewers had come to recognize above Southern California.