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Familiar TV voice, pilot among 3 killed in Los Angeles news helicopter crash

To stream 13News Now on your phone, you need the 13News Now app. Example video title will go here for this video LOS ANGELES — A news helicopter used by NBC and Telemundo crashed in a Los Angeles neighborhood on Tuesday night, Sept. 15 and burst into flames, killing at least three people while reporters were covering the nearby crash of an SUV and a city bus, officials and the NBC outlet said. Colleen Williams, an NBC4 Los Angeles anchor, confirmed during live broadcasts that the station's chopper went down just before 7 p.m. and two people were killed. “We are going to take a couple of minutes to think about that, process it,” Williams said, her voice shaking with emotion. Moments later, the coverage abruptly cut off.

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WilluChill News DeskLos Angeles, California · Published Wednesday, September 16, 2026 at 8:23 AM UTCUpdated Thursday, September 17, 2026 at 7:40 PM UTC

Coverage image for: Familiar TV voice, pilot among 3 killed in Los Angeles news helicopter crash

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WilluChill News reporting summary

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The helicopter crashed near a large storage facility in the neighborhood of Chatsworth in the San Fernando Valley, as news crews were covering the bus crash that left at least two people dead and six others injured, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. “Losing five Angelenos is very painful,” Bass said. “And I know this community of Chatsworth hit hard and will be grieving for some time.” This is a tragic night for Los Angeles. There have been at least eight fatal crashes involving news helicopters in the U.S. since 2000, killing 16 people, according to a review of federal accident records and news accounts. Aviation safety expert Jeff Guzzetti said the alarm sounding in the helicopter’s final video sounds like the low rotor RPM warning horn that signals the main rotor is no longer spinning enough to keep the helicopter in the air. “It just has all the earmarks of a potential loss of engine power and a dangerous decrease in the main rotor speed,” said Guzzetti, who used to investigate crashes for both the NTSB and FAA.

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Story timeline

Dated changes to this report are shown here as they are published.

Version 2unpublished
Wednesday, September 16, 2026 at 4:34 PM UTC
Removed by Scoop Timeline eligibility policy
Version 3published
Wednesday, September 16, 2026 at 4:49 PM UTC
To stream 13News Now on your phone, you need the 13News Now app. Example video title will go here for this video LOS ANGELES — A news helicopter used by NBC and Telemundo crashed in a Los Angeles neighborhood on Tuesday night, Sept. 15 and burst into flames, killing at least three people while reporters were covering the nearby crash of an SUV and a city bus, officials and the NBC outlet said. Colleen Williams, an NBC4 Los Angeles anchor, confirmed during live broadcasts that the station's chopper went down just before 7 p.m. and two people were killed. “We are going to take a couple of minutes to think about that, process it,” Williams said, her voice shaking with emotion. Moments later, the coverage abruptly cut off.
Version 4unpublished
Wednesday, September 16, 2026 at 4:50 PM UTC
Removed by Scoop Timeline eligibility policy
Version 5published
Wednesday, September 16, 2026 at 5:05 PM UTC
To stream 13News Now on your phone, you need the 13News Now app. Example video title will go here for this video LOS ANGELES — A news helicopter used by NBC and Telemundo crashed in a Los Angeles neighborhood on Tuesday night, Sept. 15 and burst into flames, killing at least three people while reporters were covering the nearby crash of an SUV and a city bus, officials and the NBC outlet said. Colleen Williams, an NBC4 Los Angeles anchor, confirmed during live broadcasts that the station's chopper went down just before 7 p.m. and two people were killed. “We are going to take a couple of minutes to think about that, process it,” Williams said, her voice shaking with emotion. Moments later, the coverage abruptly cut off.
Version 6unpublished
Wednesday, September 16, 2026 at 5:06 PM UTC
Removed by Scoop Timeline eligibility policy
Version 7published
Wednesday, September 16, 2026 at 5:21 PM UTC
To stream 13News Now on your phone, you need the 13News Now app. Example video title will go here for this video LOS ANGELES — A news helicopter used by NBC and Telemundo crashed in a Los Angeles neighborhood on Tuesday night, Sept. 15 and burst into flames, killing at least three people while reporters were covering the nearby crash of an SUV and a city bus, officials and the NBC outlet said. Colleen Williams, an NBC4 Los Angeles anchor, confirmed during live broadcasts that the station's chopper went down just before 7 p.m. and two people were killed. “We are going to take a couple of minutes to think about that, process it,” Williams said, her voice shaking with emotion. Moments later, the coverage abruptly cut off.
Version 8unpublished
Wednesday, September 16, 2026 at 5:21 PM UTC
Removed by Scoop Timeline eligibility policy
Version 9published
Wednesday, September 16, 2026 at 5:37 PM UTC
To stream 13News Now on your phone, you need the 13News Now app. Example video title will go here for this video LOS ANGELES — A news helicopter used by NBC and Telemundo crashed in a Los Angeles neighborhood on Tuesday night, Sept. 15 and burst into flames, killing at least three people while reporters were covering the nearby crash of an SUV and a city bus, officials and the NBC outlet said. Colleen Williams, an NBC4 Los Angeles anchor, confirmed during live broadcasts that the station's chopper went down just before 7 p.m. and two people were killed. “We are going to take a couple of minutes to think about that, process it,” Williams said, her voice shaking with emotion. Moments later, the coverage abruptly cut off.
Version 10unpublished
Thursday, September 17, 2026 at 7:40 PM UTC
Removed by Scoop Timeline eligibility policy