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Shocking surveillance footage caught the moment an NBC Los Angeles helicopter tumbled toward the ground, killing the reporter and pilot onboard.
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helicopter → see → reporter
NewsChopper4 was flying over a warehouse district at the intersection of Nordhoff Street and De Soto Avenue at around 7pm Tuesday as reporter Eliana Moreno captured footage from a nearby fatal bus crash when it suddenly went down.
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it → fly → crash
The helicopter could be seen free falling to the ground in surveillance footage from a nearby building obtained by NBC Los Angeles.
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helicopter → see → NBC
About 20 seconds after the chopper made impact in the parking lot of a self-storage business, smoke could be seen billowing from behind a container, gradually becoming darker.
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becoming → make → container
Flames could then be seen at around 50 seconds after impact, which sparked a massive fire that destroyed nearby vehicles and two storage containers.
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that → see → vehicles
Moreno, 38, whose family penned a heartbreaking tribute on Thursday, and pilot George Marciniw, 70, were pronounced dead at the scene.
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family → pen → scene
Edy Gutierrez Mejia, 29, a Guatemalan tourist, was also killed on the ground.
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Mejia → kill → ground
It is now expected that federal investigators comb through the video as they work to determine what caused the Eurocopter AS350B2 to suddenly plummet to the ground.
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AS350B2 → expect → ground
'I think the video will be helpful to investigators,' NBC News aviation analyst Jeff Guzzetti told the network.
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Guzzetti → think → network
'I see a high rate of descent,' he noted.
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he → see → descent
'That is going to be helpful for investigators.'
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That → go → investigators
Disturbing surveillance footage shows the moment an NBC Los Angeles helicopter plummeted to the ground on Tuesday night
Eliana Moreno, 38, and pilot George Marciniw, 70, were on board the aircraft when it went down while covering a fatal bus collision
The impact sparked a massive fire that destroyed nearby vehicles and two storage containers
Authorities with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) have previously said they are focusing their investigation on the footage Moreno took onboard the helicopter.
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Moreno → show → helicopter
It shows an aerial view of the bus crash and the wrecked SUV that T-boned the city bus as the whirl of the helicopter could be heard in the background.
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whirl → show → background
Suddenly, the sound of the engine's motor winds down and a horn blares – possibly warning the pilot that the main rotor speed had dropped too low.
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speed → wind → pilot
At that point, Moreno could be heard quietly saying 'Uh oh.'
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Moreno → hear → point
As the angle of the camera then begins to descend and shake, the reporter could be heard asking Marciniw: 'You can't pull up?'
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You → begin → Marciniw
The video is now at the center of the NTSB's investigation as authorities work to piece together what may have caused the Eurocopter AS350B2 to go down, Investigator in Charge Fabian Salazar said at a Wednesday afternoon news conference.
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Salazar → work → conference
The video that was actually taken while the reporter was doing live coverage, that video is probably the most important evidence that we have discovered so far,' Investigator in Charge Fabian Salazar declared at a Wednesday afternoon news conference.
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Salazar → take → conference
'In that recording, we are clearly hearing sounds that are consistent with the engine changing its speed and we're also hearing tones that are being generated that are likely advisories to the pilot, so it's important that we get that recording to our lab, so that they can be downloaded and we can get to that factual evidence that way.'
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we → hear → evidence
The NTSB investigation will gather as much data from the wreckage site as possible and will comb through footage from the crash
Investigators will also gather as much data from the wreckage site as possible, Salazar said, as he urged anyone with information about the crash to reach out to the agency.
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he → gather → agency
Once that portion of the investigation is complete, the helicopter will be moved to a secure facility so the agency could continue its examination and try to pull additional data from the wreckage.
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agency → move → wreckage
The chopper's maintenance logbooks and the weather will also be part of the investigation, and authorities will work to obtain surveillance footage from buildings near the crash scene to get a full picture of the sequence of events.
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authorities → work → events
A preliminary report is expected to be completed in 30 days, but a final report listing probable cause can take up to 18 months to complete.
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report → expect → months
In the meantime, Moreno's family asked that the public keep her, Marciniw, Mejia and the victims of the fatal bus crash in their prayers.
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public → ask → prayers
'Since she was 11 years old, Eliana dreamed of becoming a news reporter,' the family said in a statement.
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family → dream → statement
'Through hard work and courage, she turned that dream into a reality.
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she → turn → reality
So much of that journey was made possible by all of you who welcomed her into your homes and onto your screens.
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who → make → screens
Your support meant more to her than you may ever know.
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you → mean → her
'We find comfort in knowing that Eliana left this world doing the very thing she loved, pursuing the passion she carried with her since she was a little girl.'
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she → find → her
Moreno's family said in a statement on Thursday that she had dreamed of being a reporter since she was just 11 years old
The statement was signed by her parents, siblings, fiance Robert Barrientos (pictured with Moreno), her stepsons and their beloved dogs
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statement → say → Moreno
On behalf of her parents, siblings, fiancé, stepsons and beloved dogs, we want to thank everyone for the overwhelming love you have shown our beautiful Eliana,' the family continued.
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family → want → Eliana
'We are infinitely proud of her and feel incredibly blessed to have had the privilege of loving her and calling her ours.
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We → feel → her
'Please continue to keep Eliana, her pilot George, Edy Gutierrez Mejia and the souls lost in the bus collision in your thoughts and prayers,' the family then pleaded.
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family → continue → thoughts
'Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.'
Moreno's brother, Johan, also shared a statement on X, saying in part: 'RIP sis, I will love you to the end of time.
'
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I → thank → time
My family and I just went through the worst day of our lives,' he noted.
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he → go → lives
'We appreciate all the support and love.
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We → appreciate → support
The Aporia
