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CHATSWORTH, LOS ANGELES () — A mourning community is coming together to pay tribute to those killed when a NBC4 helicopter crashed in Chatsworth.
At Whiteman Airport, where the NBC4 crew used to fly in and out of on a regular basis, community members have left heartfelt notes, flowers, candles and more in memory of reporter Eliana Moreno and pilot George Marciniw who died in the crash.
One poignant note reads, “Eliana and George, fly high.”
“It’s something that we need – we need to remember both George and Eliana’s legacies that they are leaving,” said Anthony Sarabia, a Culver City resident who came to the airport to pay respects.
“It’s bittersweet. It hurts that we are gathering for this, but it also brings joy because we know the impact she had on Angelenos and the people that watched her probably across the country,” Sarabia added.
A third person, who was on the ground, was also killed when the helicopter crashed. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office identified that victim as 29-year-old Edy Gutierrez Mejia.
Gutierrez Mejia reportedly arrived in L.A. on Tuesday to meet up with a cousin to pick up several cars and transfer them back to Guatemala. He was married and the oldest of three children.
A vigil to honor the victims is scheduled to take place at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at St. John Eudes Parish at 9901 Mason Ave in Chatsworth.
The tragic crash happened Tuesday evening along Mason Avenue, where the helicopter crashed between two commercial buildings around 7 p.m. NBC4 confirmed on air shortly before 9 p.m. that the aircraft that crashed was the station’s helicopter.
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the case and said the video from aboard the NBC4 helicopter before the deadly crash is the “most important evidence” for the agency’s investigators to analyze in order to piece together the probable cause of the accident.
“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,” said Fabian Salazar, NTSB Investigator in Charge.
Investigators were seen Thursday morning photographing parts of the wreckage. Crews began slowly removing the wreckage where the helicopter went down.
Salazar said the NTSB’s plan of action is to gather as much data from the wreckage scene as possible and conduct witness interviews. He urged the public to reach out to the agency if they have any relevant information about the incident. The email provided was [email protected].
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