At Least Three Killed As US News Helicopter Crashes During Live Coverage of Los Angeles Bus Crash

A KNBC news helicopter crashed in Los Angeles’ San Fernando Valley while covering a deadly bus accident on Tuesday evening, killing three people and leaving another person injured. The dramatic final moments inside the helicopter were captured on camera, showing the aircraft moments before it went down.

The helicopter crashed at around 7 pm in the Chatsworth neighbourhood, near a one-storey commercial building, as news crews were covering an earlier accident involving an SUV and a city bus. The Los Angeles Fire Department said three people were killed in the helicopter crash, while one person was taken to hospital.

Footage from inside the helicopter shows the aircraft's final moments before the crash. The video captures the chopper in flight shortly before it suddenly goes down, offering a view of what happened moments before the fatal incident.

The helicopter was reportedly being used by NBC4 Los Angeles to cover the earlier road accident. An NBC4 anchor confirmed during a live broadcast that the station's chopper had gone down shortly before 7 pm.

The earlier accident had taken place around two hours before the helicopter crash. An SUV had slammed into the middle of a city bus, killing at least two people and injuring six others. Images from the scene showed a substantial portion of the SUV lodged into the side of the bus.

The helicopter crashed around 1.5 miles from the bus accident site. Following the crash, the aircraft caught fire, with flames also damaging four cars and two storage containers nearby. More than 50 firefighters responded to the scene and brought the blaze under control.

Los Angeles Fire Department officials said at least one of the helicopter crash victims was found in a parking lot. It was initially unclear whether the other two victims were inside the helicopter or on the ground. Authorities were also working to determine how many people were aboard the aircraft when it crashed.

The helicopter was described by firefighters as heavily destroyed in the crash, with crews searching through the wreckage to determine the circumstances of the incident and identify those involved.

The cause of the crash has not yet been established. The US National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration are investigating the incident.

The crash came as news crews were reporting from the scene of another deadly accident, turning an already major emergency response into a second fatal incident involving a news aircraft.