NBC4 Reporter Eliana Moreno and Veteran Pilot George Marciniw Identified After News Helicopter Crash in Los Angeles

An NBC4 helicopter carrying reporter Eliana Moreno and pilot George Marciniw crashed in a fiery wreck in Los Angeles.George Marciniw / Facebook

A veteran aerial reporter known to viewers as “Eli in the Heli” and an experienced pilot with more than 14,000 flight hours have been identified as two of the three people who died after an NBC4 news helicopter went down in Los Angeles while covering another deadly incident.

Eliana “Eli” Moreno and pilot George Marciniw were aboard NewsChopper4 on Tuesday evening as it hovered near Nordhoff Street in Chatsworth, where crews were reporting on a separate Metro bus collision.

The helicopter then suddenly lost altitude and crashed below, according to reports. Authorities said three people died, with the third victim believed to have been a person on the ground.

NBC4 Realizes Its Own Crew Is Involved

The NewsChopper4 was hovering while covering a separate deadly Metro bus collision when it suddenly lost altitude and plunged to the ground.

As emergency crews responded, NBC4 confirmed that the helicopter involved belonged to the station.

The realization produced an emotional moment during the station’s live coverage.

“We have lost contact with our people,” longtime NBC4 anchor Colleen Williams said through tears.

NBC4 and Telemundo 52 later issued a joint statement confirming that a helicopter providing aerial coverage for the stations had been involved in a fatal accident.

The stations offered condolences to the families, friends and colleagues of those who lost their lives.

Eliana Moreno Spent Years Reporting From Above Los Angeles

Moreno was a veteran aerial reporter who went by “Eli in the Heli.”Instagram/eli_in_the_heli

Moreno had built much of her career in the air.

Known online as “Eli in the Heli,” she had been working aboard news helicopters since 2010, covering everything from police pursuits and brush fires to traffic and major events across Los Angeles.

Her work went far beyond simply appearing on camera. While airborne, Moreno served as a photographer, reporter and editor.

She began her aerial news career after graduating from Chapman University in 2010 with degrees in broadcast journalism and political science.

Moreno later worked with KCAL 9 and KCBS 2 before joining NBC and becoming part of the NewsChopper4 operation around 2018 or 2019.

Following confirmation of her death, tributes began appearing online from people remembering both her work and personality.

George Marciniw Had More Than 14,000 Hours of Experience

Marciniw was a highly experienced pilot who had logged more than 14,000 hours in the chopper.George Marciniw / Facebook

Marciniw was also no newcomer to the skies.

The veteran pilot had accumulated more than 14,000 flight hours, making the sudden loss of the aircraft particularly striking as investigators begin examining what caused it to go down.

NewsChopper4 had been hovering over the Chatsworth area when it abruptly descended.

The crash sparked a major emergency response, with firefighters and other first responders rushing to the scene.

Several vehicles near the crash site also caught fire.

They Had Been Covering Another Fatal Incident

“We have lost contact with our people,” longtime NBC4 anchor Colleen Williams saidInstagram/eli_in_the_heli

The circumstances surrounding the flight added another tragic layer to the evening.

Moreno and Marciniw had been sent into the air to cover a deadly Metro bus collision in Chatsworth. Instead, the news helicopter itself became the center of a second emergency nearby.

Los Angeles Fire Department officials confirmed at least three fatalities in connection with the helicopter crash.

The information available in the initial reports did not establish an official cause for the crash.

For colleagues watching from the newsroom, however, the first indication that something was terribly wrong came before all the details were known.

Their helicopter had disappeared from contact.

And the people inside were members of their own team.