Helicopter Crash Kills 3 in Los Angeles as 1 Is Hospitalized

Q: What caused a news helicopter to plummet into a neighborhood while covering a deadly bus crash just blocks away?

The cause has not yet been determined. Authorities say the news helicopter crashed around 7:30 p.m. on Mason Avenue in Chatsworth while covering the earlier deadly Metro bus collision, but officials have not released any confirmed reason for why it fell. What is known is that the aircraft went down between commercial buildings, struck truck cargo containers, and burst into flames, igniting nearby vehicles. Los Angeles fire officials said at least three people were killed, including one person on the ground, and another person was hospitalized. KNBC reported that it lost contact with its helicopter, and multiple outlets said the aircraft was one of the news helicopters assigned to the bus-crash coverage. Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board are leading the inquiry, with the FAA and Los Angeles police also involved. Because the helicopter was badly damaged by the impact and fire, officials said they still needed to identify the aircraft fully, determine how many people were aboard, and examine the wreckage for evidence of mechanical failure, pilot error, or other factors. So, at this stage, the helicopter did not “plummet” for any publicly confirmed reason. The only verified answer is that it crashed while covering the nearby fatal bus wreck, and the cause remains under active federal investigation.

3 articles · Updated · bbc.co.uk · Sep 16

Three people died when a helicopter crashed just before 7 p.m. Tuesday between two commercial buildings in Chatsworth, Los Angeles fire officials said.
One person was taken to a local hospital with unknown injuries, while the crash ignited two shipping containers and several vehicles before firefighters extinguished the blaze.
Local media said the aircraft may have been a news helicopter covering an earlier fatal bus crash nearby, though authorities had not confirmed the operator; police said it was not an LAPD helicopter.
The NTSB will lead the investigation into the cause of the crash, which came after a separate Chatsworth bus collision earlier Tuesday killed two people and injured six.