New Video Shows 3-Fatality NewsChopper4 Descent as NTSB Probes Warning Horn

3 articles · Updated · NBC Los Angeles · Sep 18

Surveillance video newly obtained by NBCLA shows NewsChopper4 losing altitude in its final seconds before Tuesday’s Chatsworth crash, which killed reporter Eliana Moreno, pilot George Marciniw and Edy Gutierrez Mejia on the ground.
NTSB investigator Fabian Salazar said live coverage footage captured cockpit advisory tones and apparent speed changes, while aviation analyst Jeff Guzzetti said the audio suggests a winding-down engine and likely low-rotor-RPM warning before descent.
The new camera angle shows a high rate of descent, with smoke appearing about 20 seconds after impact and flames about 50 seconds later, evidence Guzzetti said makes fuel exhaustion less likely than a mechanical or fuel-system failure.
Federal investigators removed wreckage Thursday and are seeking more public video as they examine maintenance logs, weather, pilot training and witness accounts, including one who said the helicopter was swaying before it dropped.
The Eurocopter AS350 B2 had been hovering over a deadly SUV-bus collision when something went wrong suddenly; the NTSB expects a preliminary report within 30 days, while a final finding could take months or years.