3 Dead In NBC News Helicopter Crash Near Scene Of Fatal Bus Crash In SoCal

LOS ANGELES — A helicopter from a television news station crashed Tuesday evening in Chatsworth, killing three people, while responding to the scene of a Metro bus collision that killed another three and injured several more, according to authorities.

The helicopter went down between two commercial buildings just before 7 p.m. in the 9100 block of North Mason Avenue, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department, which reported an hour later that three people died at the scene and one person was taken to a local hospital in unknown condition. One of the people killed was on the ground, according to the department.

NBCLA reported around 9 p.m. that it had confirmed the helicopter was its news chopper.

"We can now confirm that the chopper that went down in Chatsworth tonight was, in fact, Newschopper 4," announced NBC4 Anchor Colleen Williams.

"We have been telling you that we have been piecing it together here. We knew it was a news chopper. We knew we lost contact with our people out there, and we just received confirmation that, in fact, Newschopper 4 went down just before 7 o'clock tonight in Chatsworth, and we are going to take a couple of minutes to think about that, to process, and to grieve through. But in the meantime, if anything should happen, if there is a news conference, if there is anything, we will break into programming and bring it you.

"We knew in our hearts," she added, fighting back her emotions.

Anguish at the loss was widespread as many journalists flocked to the scene to cover the crash, knowing the victims were likely friends and colleagues. Viewers at home watched and waited to find out which familiar broadcasters lost their lives trying to cover the devastating Metro bus crash.

"I'm absolutely devastated by the loss of life in Chatsworth tonight," Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said in a statement shared on social media. "My heart is with the families and loved ones of those we lost in the tragic bus collision and helicopter crash.

"I'm grateful to the City teams who responded so quickly. Please stay clear of the area as public safety officials remain on scene."

Helicopter Crash Scene

The helicopter when down next to a storage facility on Mason Avenue near Nordhoff Street. It was one of several choppers that been hovering in the area near the scene of a violent crash involving an SUV and a Metro bus. The crash triggered a fire that sent plumes of black smoke above the region.

The people aboard the helicopter have not been identified as of about 10 p.m.

The person taken to a hospital was a worker at a warehouse near the site of the helicopter crash who was in the parking lot at the time of the crash, who was "shaken up more emotionally than physically," according to "LA Live News Tonight."

“We’re trying to determine how many patients were inside the helicopter,” said Capt. Branden Silverman, a spokesperson for the Los Angeles Fire Department, said during a news conference. He described the helicopter as “pretty well destroyed” and adding that officials would be sorting through the rubble to see how many victims were on board.

A total of 56 firefighters responded, the department said. Four vehicles and two storage containers were damaged by the blaze. The fire was extinguished an hour after the crash.

The National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration will investigate.

Fatal Bus Crash

The initial vehicular crash occurred around 5 p.m. in the area of Nordhoff Street and De Soto Avenue, authorities said.

An SUV plowed into the side of the bus, killing three people and injuring five others, authorities said.

Firefighters were extricating trapped victims and assessing all passengers on the bus, according to the department, and six injured victims were taken to local hospitals. The department initially reported two fatalities, but that number later rose to three, Metro confirmed to City News Service.

The conditions of the remaining injured were not immediately known. A large number of ambulances and fire engines responded to the scene.

Video from the scene showed firefighters tending to multiple patients, and frantically working to free a woman who was trapped inside the bus. She was eventually freed and quickly loaded into an ambulance in unknown condition with what crews on scene described as "crushing" injuries.

A crisis response team was notified and the intersection was shut down, authorities said.

It was unclear what caused the crash.

City News Service and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

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