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Video shows final moments of news helicopter before fatal LA crash
A newly emerged video shows the final moments of a news helicopter before it crashed while covering a deadly bus collision in Chatsworth. The footage has sharpened attention on the crash as investigators examine what brought the aircraft down.
Three people were killed and one injured when an NBC Los Angeles news helicopter covering a deadly bus-SUV crash in Los Angeles lost altitude and crashed.
Three people were killed Tuesday in a fiery crash after a US news media helicopter covering a bus crash in Los Angeles came down in a neighbourhood. A video recorded from inside the news helicopter captured its final moments as it was covering the earlier accident.
The helicopter was flying over Chatsworth while covering a collision involving a passenger bus and an SUV when it apparently began losing altitude.
The footage shows the camera-mounted helicopter pulling away from the crash site and moving over the surrounding neighbourhood before rapidly descending. The recording cuts off as the helicopter crashes.
The helicopter came down in a parking area between two commercial buildings. It crashed onto or near several parked vehicles and large shipping containers, triggering a fire and sending thick plumes of smoke into the air.
The Los Angeles Fire Department said three people were pronounced dead at the scene, while one person was taken to a local hospital in an unknown condition. Officials said at least one of those killed appeared to have been on the ground when the helicopter crashed.
The aircraft was a television news helicopter operated for NBC Los Angeles. NBC4 later confirmed that its NewsChopper4 was involved in the crash. The station had initially lost contact with its crew after reports emerged that a news helicopter had gone down near the bus crash site.
During live coverage, NBC4 anchor Colleen Williams confirmed that the station had lost contact with its colleagues aboard the helicopter.
The crash came as several Los Angeles television stations had sent helicopters to cover the earlier road accident in Chatsworth. The collision involved an SUV and a Metro bus. Two people were killed and at least six others were injured, according to local authorities. Firefighters had to extricate people trapped inside the bus.
The helicopter crash occurred roughly 1.6 kilometres from the site of the bus collision. More than 50 firefighters responded to the helicopter crash, where several vehicles and two storage containers were damaged by the ensuing fire.
The cause of the helicopter crash has not yet been established. The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration are investigating the incident.