CHATSWORTH, Calif. — A news helicopter covering a deadly Metro bus collision for KNBC-TV and KVEA-TV crashed Tuesday evening in the Chatsworth area of Los Angeles, killing aerial journalist Eliana Moreno, pilot George Marciniw and a man on the ground, Edy Gutierrez Mejia.

Another pedestrian was hospitalized. NewsChopper4, owned and operated by Angel City Air, was providing aerial coverage for NBC4 Los Angeles and Telemundo 52 when the stations lost contact with the aircraft shortly before 7 p.m.

The helicopter went down between commercial buildings and erupted in flames, damaging vehicles and storage containers. Moreno and Marciniw were remembered by colleagues as experienced members of Southern California’s close-knit aerial-news community.

THE NTSB’S PRELIMINARY REPORT

UPDATE — OCT. 6: The National Transportation Safety Board’s preliminary report says NewsChopper4 was about 800 feet above ground and had slowed to about 6 knots during its final minute. An onboard recording captured normal rotor and engine sounds through most of a four-minute, 21-second video, followed during the final 29 seconds by changing frequencies and intermittent and continuous warning horns consistent with high and low main-rotor revolutions per minute and other aural advisories.

The helicopter then entered a rapid descent while turning right. Its final Automatic Dependent Surveillance–Broadcast data point showed a high descent rate and about 38 knots of ground speed directly above the accident site. Nearby security cameras recorded the aircraft striking a metal storage container before a post-crash fire.

The report is preliminary and does not identify a probable cause or assign responsibility. Investigators moved the wreckage to a secure facility for further examination, and the investigation remains open.

THE RADIO NEWS NOW QUESTION: IS IT TIME TO RETHINK THE NEWS HELICOPTER?

News helicopters have spent decades giving viewers immediate pictures of fires, pursuits, disasters, traffic failures and breaking events spread across large areas. In a city as expansive as Los Angeles, that perspective can be valuable. But the technology available to local newsrooms has changed dramatically.

Ground reporters can now transmit broadcast-quality video through bonded cellular systems. Fixed traffic cameras, public-safety cameras, satellites, mapping tools and verified eyewitness video can establish what is happening without placing a flight crew over every developing story. Properly licensed drone teams can sometimes provide aerial views while keeping journalists out of the aircraft, although drones carry their own safety, regulatory and privacy restrictions.

The question is not whether helicopters should disappear immediately. It is whether routine aerial coverage still justifies the risk when safer tools can accomplish much of the same work. News organizations should be prepared to explain who decides that a flight is necessary, what authority the pilot has to refuse an assignment, how contractors are supervised and whether competing stations can pool aerial coverage.

WHAT NEWSROOMS SHOULD REVIEW NOW

  • When aerial coverage provides unique public-service value
  • Whether a ground crew, fixed camera or licensed drone could obtain the needed pictures
  • Weather, altitude, fuel, maintenance and crew-rest standards
  • The authority of pilots and journalists to decline or end a flight
  • Contractor training, insurance and safety records
  • Whether stations can share one aircraft instead of placing several helicopters over the same event

That review should not presume what caused Tuesday’s crash. It should recognize that three people died while a local newsroom was doing its work—and ask whether today’s technology can preserve the public-service benefit while reducing the danger.

Sources: National Transportation Safety Board preliminary report, NBC Los Angeles and the Associated Press.