Eliana Moreno’s Cause of Death Revealed After Fatal NewsChopper4 Crash

The cause of death of NBC4 and Telemundo 52 aerial reporter Eliana Moreno has been released following the fatal NewsChopper4 helicopter crash in Chatsworth, Los Angeles, that claimed three lives.

Moreno, 38, was aboard the Angel City Air helicopter with veteran pilot George Marciniw on the evening of September 15, 2026. The crew was flying over Chatsworth while providing aerial coverage of a deadly collision involving a Metro bus and an SUV when the helicopter suddenly lost altitude and crashed near Mason Avenue.

The helicopter crashed between commercial buildings and burst into flames. Moreno and Marciniw were killed aboard the aircraft. A third person on the ground, 29-year-old Edy Gutierrez Mejia, also died in the crash. A fourth person was hospitalized after the wreckage came down in the area.

According to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner, Moreno died from blunt force trauma sustained in the crash. The report also listed thermal injuries and inhalation of combustion products as significant conditions associated with her death.

Meanwhile, federal investigators are continuing to examine what caused the helicopter itself to go down. The National Transportation Safety Board has identified the live video recorded from inside the helicopter during the final moments of the flight as one of its most important pieces of evidence so far.

The recording captured unusual sounds shortly before the crash, including what investigators described as sounds consistent with a change in engine speed and warning tones generated inside the cockpit. The helicopter can be heard descending rapidly before the recording ends. However, investigators have stressed that these sounds have not been established as the cause of the crash.

The NTSB plans to analyze a pristine copy of the recording in its laboratory, including a detailed sound-spectrum analysis. Investigators are also examining the wreckage, maintenance records, weather conditions, pilot training and witness accounts as they work to determine what happened.

Witnesses described seeing the helicopter apparently sway before losing altitude. Aviation experts reviewing the available footage have discussed the possibility of a mechanical problem, but those assessments remain investigative theories rather than an official determination. The NTSB has said a preliminary report is expected in roughly 30 days, while a final report identifying a probable cause could take much longer.

Moreno was remembered by colleagues and loved ones as a dedicated journalist who had dreamed of becoming a reporter since she was 11. Her family said she turned that dream into reality through hard work and courage.

Her death, along with the loss of Marciniw and Gutierrez Mejia, has devastated the Southern California news community. As investigators continue working to determine why NewsChopper4 crashed, Moreno’s official cause of death provides one more piece of information about the tragedy, while the central question of what brought the helicopter down remains unanswered.

Source: NY Post