A helicopter operated by NBC’s Los Angeles affiliate crashed on September 15 while providing live aerial coverage of a separate traffic accident in the Chatsworth neighborhood, in the northwestern part of the city. Fire officials confirmed that at least three people died in the helicopter crash, with one additional person injured.
The chopper had been sent to film the aftermath of a collision between a pickup truck and a public transit bus, an incident that had already claimed three lives and left several others hurt. Local media outlets had rushed crews to the scene to cover that crash when the news helicopter itself went down over the residential area.
Reporters stationed near the original accident site reported hearing a loud explosion at the time of the crash. Aerial footage captured afterward showed a large fire that appeared to engulf cargo containers and vehicles on the ground, along with the wreckage of the helicopter itself—its rotor blades and tail section visibly mangled amid the flames.
Authorities have not yet released details on what caused the aircraft to go down. The dual tragedy—an initial road accident followed by the crash of the helicopter covering it—has shaken the Chatsworth community and raised questions about the safety of live news coverage from the air.
For more details, read the original report at eltiempo.com.
Source: Helicóptero de NBC se estrelló mientras cubría en vivo un accidente en Los Ángeles, EE. UU.; hay al menos 3 muertos (eltiempo.com). English version produced with AI assistance.
Image: Arlington National Cemetery, PDM 1.0 (via Openverse).