Three people were killed after a news helicopter crashed in Los Angeles’ San Fernando Valley on Tuesday evening while covering an earlier fatal collision involving an SUV and a Metro bus.
The helicopter went down between two commercial buildings near the 9100 block of North Mason Avenue in Chatsworth, close to the scene of the earlier bus crash. The aircraft struck or landed near several parked vehicles and shipping containers, triggering a fire that damaged four cars and two storage containers. More than 50 firefighters responded to the scene.
The circumstances leading to the helicopter crash remain under investigation. Footage from inside the aircraft reportedly captured the moments before the crash, showing an apparent loss of control before the recording ended.
Los Angeles Fire Department Captain Branden Silverman said one of the people killed was apparently outside the helicopter when it crashed. Firefighters initially faced uncertainty over how many people were aboard the aircraft and had to search through the wreckage.
“The helicopter itself, it’s pretty well destroyed,” Silverman said, adding that crews had to examine the rubble to determine how many victims were on board.
A fourth person was taken to a local hospital following the crash, although authorities had not immediately released details about their condition.
The helicopter was operated by NBC Los Angeles, according to subsequent reports. NBC’s NewsChopper4 had been covering the nearby collision involving an SUV and a Metro bus when the aircraft crashed.
The earlier road collision occurred in Chatsworth when an SUV slammed into a Metro bus at the intersection of Nordhoff Street and De Soto Avenue. Two people were killed and six others were injured in that crash, with emergency crews working to remove trapped passengers from the bus.
The helicopter came down about 1.6 kilometres from the location of the bus crash, according to reports. Emergency responders were still dealing with the earlier accident when they saw a column of smoke rising from the helicopter crash site.
The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board are expected to investigate the helicopter crash, while the Los Angeles Police Department is also involved in the investigation. The cause of the crash has not yet been determined.
