09/16/2026
The crash occurred just before 7:00 p.m. on September 15, 2026, on the 9100 block of North Mason Avenue. The helicopter, confirmed to be NBCLA's NewsChopper4, plunged between two commercial buildings and immediately burst into flames.
Over 50 personnel from the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) responded to the scene to extinguish the blaze. The fire also damaged four vehicles and two shipping containers in the immediate parking lot. Victims and InjuriesFatalities: At least three people have been pronounced dead. According to authorities, at least one of the victims was a warehouse worker or pedestrian standing in the parking lot when the aircraft came down. Officials are still sifting through the wreckage to officially identify the victims who were on board.Injuries: One person on the ground was hospitalized, primarily experiencing severe emotional distress from the proximity of the impact.
Connection to Bus CollisionThe helicopter was one of several media aircraft hovering over Chatsworth to cover a devastating collision that happened two hours prior. In that earlier incident, an SUV broadsided a Metro bus about a mile and a half away, killing two people and injuring six others. In a public conference, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass shared that she was "absolutely devastated" by the rapid succession of tragedies in the area. Ongoing InvestigationThe cause of the crash remains unknown. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are launching a joint investigation, with investigators arriving at the scene to collect flight records and assess the debris.
