Three dead after news helicopter covering bus collision crashes in Los Angeles

At least three people have been killed in a news helicopter crash in Los Angeles while reporting on a deadly bus collision just two hours earlier.

The NBC helicopter crashed near a storage building and burst into flames in the Chatsworth neighborhood of the San Fernando Valley on Tuesday.

News crews had been covering a bus crash which occurred in the area and left at least two people dead and six others injured, according the Los Angeles Fire Department.

At least one person killed in the chopper collision was outside in a car park next to the commercial building, the fire service confirmed.

The helicopter crashed into a storage building in Chatsworth, LA, killing at least three people. / Credit: KABC-TV via AP

It is unclear if the other two deaths were on the ground or inside the aircraft, or whether there were any survivors.

More than 50 firefighters responded to the incident, the fire department added.

Colleen Williams, an NBC4 Los Angeles anchor, confirmed during a live broadcast that the station’s chopper went down just before 7pm.

“We are going to take a couple of minutes to think about that, process it,” she said.

Emergency services respond to the helicopter crash in Chatsworth, LA. / Credit: FR171736 AP

Moments later their coverage abruptly cut off.

Footage shared online showed a large fire crew working around the crash.

One person was taken to the hospital, but their condition is not known.

People hug each other at the scene of a deadly helicopter and bus crash. / Credit: FR171736 AP

“We’re trying to determine how many patients were inside the helicopter,” said Captain Branden Silverman, a spokesperson for the Los Angeles Fire Department.

In a news conference, he described the helicopter as “pretty well destroyed” and said officials would sort through the rubble to see how many victims were on board.

At least four cars and two storage containers on the ground burned after the helicopter caught fire, which was quickly put out, according to officials.

A bus crashed in Chatsworth two hours before the helicopter collision, killing at least two and injuring six others. / Credit: KABC-TV via AP

The road collision happened around two hours before the helicopter crashed, with an SUV slamming into the middle of a city bus.

NBCLA confirmed the helicopter was NewsChopper4, operated by Angel City Air.

The outlet said several TV news helicopters were reporting on the bush crash before the news chopper went down about a mile and a half away.

Governor Gavin Newsom thanked the emergency crews responding to both crashes and said in a post on X that “our hearts are with the victims and families.”

Mayor Karen Bass said in a post on X: “This is a tragic night for Los Angeles.

“My thoughts are with those impacted by the bus collision and the helicopter crash, and with the entire NBC4 family who lost members of their team while they were doing their jobs.”

The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration said it will be investigating the cause of the helicopter crash and would be sending one of its investigators on Wednesday.