An NBC4 news helicopter crashed in the Chatsworth area of Los Angeles on Tuesday evening, killing three people and injuring at least one other, authorities said.
The aircraft, identified as NewsChopper 4 and operated by Angel City Air, went down just before 7 p.m. local time in a commercial complex parking lot near North Mason Avenue in the San Fernando Valley. The helicopter was carrying a reporter and pilot who had been dispatched to cover a separate collision between a sport utility vehicle and a municipal bus in the same neighborhood.
Two crew members aboard the helicopter died at the scene. A third fatality was a pedestrian found on the ground in the parking area. Los Angeles Fire Department Captain Branden Silverman said police officers helped pull the person away from the flames. One additional person was transported to a hospital; officials did not immediately provide details on that person's condition.
The crash sparked a large fire that spread to four parked vehicles and two storage containers in the vicinity. Aerial footage showed the helicopter's destroyed rotors and tail section amid the flames. Los Angeles Fire Department personnel extinguished the fire, which did not spread to nearby buildings.
NBC4 anchor Colleen Williams announced the crash during live television coverage, appearing visibly emotional as she confirmed that the network had lost contact with its news team. "We knew it was a news chopper. We knew we'd lost contact with our people out there, and we've just received the confirmation that, in fact, NewsChopper 4 went down just before 7 o'clock tonight in Chatsworth," Williams said on air.
The NewsChopper 4 helicopter was shared by NBC4 and Telemundo 52 for news coverage operations. The bus accident that the helicopter was covering resulted in three deaths and several injuries among those involved in that collision.
The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration are leading the investigation into the cause of the crash. Investigators indicated they would need to search the wreckage to identify the deceased and determine what caused the helicopter to go down. Officials have not yet determined the cause.