They were the 'eyes and ears in the sky.' NBC4 helicopter crew were SoCal news veterans
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Set us as preferred They were a dynamic duo, often taking to the skies to document some of the biggest breaking news stories across Southern California.But on Tuesday evening, KNBC reporter Eliana Moreno and pilot George Marciniw flew together for the last time, before their NBC4 news helicopter crashed and burst into flames in Chatsworth, killing them both and a third person on the ground.
The third person was identified as Edy Mejia.The chopper went down between two commercial buildings in the 9100 block of Mason Avenue around 7 p.m.
In addition to the three killed, two others were hospitalized.At the time of the crash, Moreno and Marciniw were covering a fatal vehicle collision in Chatsworth, where two people were killed and six others were injured when an SUV smashed into a Metro bus.
Here’s more information about the victims.The pair were referred to as “the eyes and ears in the sky,” according to NBC4.Moreno and Marciniw first began flying together in 2023 and worked together to cover stories as varied as police pursuits and the 2025 L.A.
County wildfires.Moreno was from Orange County and graduated from Chapman University with a degree in broadcast journalism and political science.
She had been flying in news choppers since 2010.She was engaged to be married.Moreno was also known as “Eli in the heli” on Instagram and reported for NBCLA and Telemundo 52.Marciniw also grew up in Southern California and graduated from Burbank High School in 1974, according to NBC4.
Marciniw also worked as a flight instructor for aspiring pilots.According to a flight instructor profile, Marciniw was a helicopter flight instructor for more than 30 years and flew 14,000 hours.His base is listed as Whiteman Airport in Pacoima and he was affiliated with Pacific Rotorways Helicopter Training.Marciniw’s Facebook profile descri...