LOS ANGELES – Three people died after a NBC4 news helicopter crashed in Chatsworth.
What we know:
Firefighters and paramedics responded to 9151 Mason Ave., near Nordhoff Street, just before 7 p.m.
According to the LA Fire Department, three people were determined dead on scene. One person was transported to a hospital in unknown condition. Fire officials said one of the victims was a pedestrian on the street. The other two people killed were in the helicopter.
NBC4 news chopper crashes
The Los Angeles Police Department confirmed the helicopter was from a television station. NBC4 said they lost contact with their air crew around 7 p.m. and by 8:55 p.m. they confirmed on air that the helicopter was theirs.
A witness at the scene said the helicopter was swaying before it crashed. “Immediately after that it was a cloud of smoke,” stated Allyona Sevanesian.
NewsChopper4 went down between two commercial buildings, igniting on fire instantly. That fire spread to four nearby vehicles and two shipping containers.
What we don’t know:
It’s unclear what caused the crash. Several news helicopters and ground crews were already in the area to cover a nearby bus crash.
The NTSB and FAA will be handling the investigation.
Deadly bus crash occurs a block away
Local perspective:
The scene is about a block or so away from the scene of a deadly Metro bus crash that happened earlier in the evening.
In that crash, an SUV collided with a Metro bus that was traveling eastbound on Nordhoff Street near De Soto Avenue. Three people died, and another six were transported to a local hospital in unknown condition.
It appears the SUV was speeding and T-boned the bus. The driver of the SUV died at the hospital, according to Metro spokesman Jose Ubaldo.
The Source: Information for this story came from the Los Angeles Fire Department.