A news helicopter crashed and caught fire in the Chatsworth area of Los Angeles on Tuesday while news crews were covering a separate fatal bus crash, killing at least three people, according to officials. The aircraft belonged to the local NBC4 affiliate, the station's anchor confirmed during a live broadcast, after the station reported losing contact with its crew. The Los Angeles Fire Department said three people were determined dead at the scene and one was taken to a hospital in unknown condition, while more than 50 firefighters responded, according to NPR. The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration said they will investigate the cause, according to NPR.
News helicopter crashes in Los Angeles while covering fatal bus crash, killing three
A news helicopter crashed and caught fire in the Chatsworth area of Los Angeles on Tuesday while news crews were covering a separate fatal bus crash, killing at least three people, according to officials. The aircraft belonged to the local NBC4 affiliate, the station's anchor confirmed during a live broadcast, after the station reported losing contact with its crew. The Los Angeles Fire Department said three people were determined dead at the scene and one was taken to a hospital in unknown condition, while more than 50 firefighters responded, according to NPR. The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration said they will investigate the cause, according to NPR.
The helicopter went down as reporters were covering a bus crash in Chatsworth, northwest of downtown Los Angeles. The Los Angeles Fire Department said an SUV struck a city bus about two hours before the helicopter crash, leaving at least two people dead and six injured, according to NPR. France 24 reported that the SUV ploughed into a bus in the Chatsworth area, killing three people and injuring many others, a higher toll than NPR's figure. Photos and videos online showed half of the SUV lodged into the side of an MTA bus, according to NPR.
NPR reported the helicopter crashed around 7 p.m. near a one-story commercial building in the San Fernando Valley, about a mile and a half from the bus crash, and that an NBC4 anchor said during a live broadcast that its chopper went down just before 7 p.m. France 24 reported that reporters at the bus crash scene heard a loud bang and some saw a helicopter come down about a block away, sending up smoke, with aerial footage showing a large fire involving shipping containers and cars and the mangled tail and rotors of a helicopter in the flames. At least four cars and two storage containers on the ground burned after the helicopter caught fire, which was quickly put out, according to NPR.
On casualties, NPR reported that at least one person killed in the helicopter crash was outside in the parking lot next to the commercial building, citing Capt. Branden Silverman, a spokesperson for the Los Angeles Fire Department, and that it was unclear whether the other two who died were on the ground or inside the aircraft. France 24 reported that one of the dead appeared to be a pedestrian who was on the ground when the crash happened. The Los Angeles Fire Department said four patients were assessed, three were determined deceased at the scene and one was transported to a local hospital in unknown condition, according to France 24.
France 24 reported there was no immediate confirmation of the identities of those aboard the helicopter, that police confirmed early on it was a media chopper, and that the local NBC4 affiliate reported live that it could not make contact with its crew. France 24 also reported that news outlets in Los Angeles, the country's second-largest city, routinely use helicopters to cover large incidents, and that a news media helicopter usually carries two people, a pilot and a reporter-camera operator.
Where sources differ
- Death toll from the bus crash: France 24 reports the SUV killed three people and injured many others, while NPR reports the bus crash left at least two people dead and six injured, citing the Los Angeles Fire Department.
- Number of firefighters: France 24 reports 'dozens' of firefighters were sent to the helicopter crash scene, while NPR reports more than 50 firefighters responded, citing the fire department.
- Location description: France 24 describes Chatsworth as northwest of downtown Los Angeles, while NPR places it in the San Fernando Valley.
- Casualty circumstances: NPR says at least one of the dead was in a parking lot next to a commercial building and that it was unclear whether the other two were on the ground or inside the aircraft, while France 24 says one of the dead appeared to be a pedestrian on the ground.
- Timing detail: NPR gives specific times for the helicopter crash (around 7 p.m., just before 7 p.m.) and says the bus crash occurred about two hours earlier; France 24 does not give times.
- The identities of those aboard the crashed helicopter are not established by either source.
- Neither source establishes how many people were inside the helicopter at the time of the crash.
- Neither source establishes whether the two other people killed, besides the one outside, were on the ground or aboard the aircraft.
- The cause of the helicopter crash is not established; the NTSB and FAA investigation is announced but no findings are reported.
- The identities of the people killed or injured in the bus crash are not reported.
- The condition of the person taken to the hospital is not established.
- The identity of the SUV driver and whether that driver faces any action are not reported.
- France 24 — original — by FRANCE 24
- NPR News — by The Associated Press
Read the original at France 24