‘Pull up!’: Video inside NBC helicopter captures final moments and last words of those killed

Tearful news anchors confirmed the deaths of their colleagues on Tuesday after an NBC helicopter crashed between two buildings in Los Angeles. 

At the time, the news crew was covering a fatal bus accident near Chatsworth, around 40 kilometres from downtown LA. 

“We are deeply saddened to share that a helicopter providing aerial news coverage for NBC4 and Telemundo 52 was involved in a fatal accident in Los Angeles on Tuesday evening,” NBC Los Angeles and Telemundo 52 said in a statement. “We extend our heartfelt condolences to the families, friends and colleagues of those who lost their lives.”

Three people died in the helicopter, which burst into flames upon crashing, and they were confirmed to be journalist Eliana Moreno and pilot George Marciniw. The third person, who has remained unnamed, was a pedestrian who was killed when the helicopter hit the ground. 

“We’ve been piecing it together here, we knew it was a news chopper and we lost contact with our people out there, and we’ve just received the confirmation,” anchor Colleen Williams said on air. “We’re going to take a couple of minutes to think about that, to process and to regroup.”

California Governor Gavin Newsom offered his condolences in a statement, writing: “Our hearts are with the victims and families of tonight’s devastating Metro bus and helicopter crashes in Chatsworth, and with the entire NBC4 family. Thank you to the first responders working tirelessly tonight.”

Audio from the NBC helicopter captured their final moments

If you listen, you could hear the low rotor RPM annunciator horn going off. You could also hear the engine rev down. This was an engine failure, and slow response into entering an auto -rotation by PiC. No survivors. #KNBC #HelicopterCrash pic.twitter.com/JbOJ5DGPZR

— Zoey Tur🚁 (@ZoeyTur) September 16, 2026

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A first-person video recording put out by NBC showed the view from the sky as the journalist covered the fatal bus accident, which could be seen at an intersection at the end of the street. 

In the video, there appeared to be some kind of mechanical issue as a beeping alarm began to ring out. There was a chugging noise, followed by the helicopter veering off to the right. At this point, reporter Eliana Moreno told the pilot to “pull” as they moved over buildings. 

“What? You can’t pull up?” she said as the camera began to shake. 

Rest in peace Eliana Moreno & George Marciniw ❤️#NBC #helicopter pic.twitter.com/BQKnzrk9Bv

— ⭒ (@Sofarrjo) September 16, 2026

Just moments later, the feed went dark. 

The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration are set to begin an investigation into the cause of the helicopter crash that killed three. 

More details are expected to follow. 

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Featured image credit: ABC/NBC