NBC Los Angeles news helicopter crashes in Chatsworth, killing 3

Just before seven o'clock on Tuesday evening, an NBC Los Angeles news helicopter dropped from the sky above Chatsworth in the San Fernando Valley and came down hard on a storage facility at the 9100 block of North Mason Avenue. The aircraft landed directly onto two shipping containers and several parked vehicles. The impact was catastrophic. A large fire erupted immediately and spread to the surrounding cars. By the time firefighters arrived and extinguished the flames, three people were dead at the scene. Two others were transported to a local hospital in unknown condition.

The wreckage was severe enough that fire officials could not immediately determine how many people had been aboard. Captain Branden Silverman of the Los Angeles Fire Department said one person was found outside the helicopter after the crash and was pronounced dead on scene. Two additional victims were found dead at the crash site. "The helicopter itself, it's pretty well destroyed, so we are going to have to go through the rubble and see how many victims there were on board, as well as identify the helicopter," Silverman explained to reporters. The circumstances of the crash remained unclear as investigators began their work.

Just before nine o'clock that night, NBC Los Angeles confirmed the helicopter belonged to their station. The aircraft had been providing aerial news coverage for both NBC4 and Telemundo 52. In a brief statement, the stations said they were "deeply saddened" to report the fatal accident and extended condolences to the families and colleagues of those who died. None of the victims were publicly identified as of Tuesday night.

The crash added another layer of tragedy to an already devastating day in Chatsworth. The helicopter had come down near the scene of a separate Metro bus crash that had occurred earlier, compounding the loss for the community and the city's emergency responders. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass spoke during a news conference late that evening, her voice heavy. "This is a very, very tragic day in Los Angeles," she said. "We lost five Angelenos today, and my hearts certainly go out to the families and friends to all of those that we lost." Supervisor Lindsey Horvath called on the community to support one another and to care for those who were grieving or processing what they had witnessed.

California Governor Gavin Newsom posted on Facebook acknowledging both crashes and thanking first responders. The incident reverberated through the local news community, a tight-knit group in Los Angeles where many journalists know one another professionally and personally. CBS LA anchor Pat Harvey spoke to the broader meaning of the moment. "This is when we all come together for something like this, even if you've never met the person," she said. "I want to say that we have each other's backs." Assignment editor Mike Rogers added, "That helicopter community is a small group of people, and it's just devastating to know that this has happened to one of those people, to our friends and our colleagues at NBC4."

The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board were both contacted to assist with the investigation. Los Angeles police were also investigating. Firefighters and police erected a canopy over one body after the fire was extinguished, a small gesture of dignity as the work of understanding what had happened began in earnest.