Shocking new CCTV shows moment NBC helicopter plummets towards the ground before bursting into flames in deadly crash

SHOCKING surveillance footage shows a new angle of the moment an NBC helicopter plummeted to the ground, killing three people. The horrifying crash took place on Tuesday around 7pm in Chatsworth, Los Angeles, when the chopper was on assignment covering a fatal bus crash before it suddenly plunged to the ground and burst into flames. New video captures the moment an NBC helicopter crashed and burst into flames while filming a fatal road traffic accident in Chatsworth, Los Angeles, on Tuesday Credit: NBC Los Angeles The chopper descended quickly towards the ground before erupting into a fireball in a horror crash that left three dead Credit: NBC Los Angeles Eliana Moreno, 38, and her pilot George Marciniw were killed in the crash alongside 29-year-old Edy Gutierrez Mejia who was on the ground Credit: Facebook/@GeorgeMarciniw The wreckage from the crash has since been retrieved and sent to a specialist NTSB facility in Phoenix Credit: Reuters Eliana Moreno, 38, a photojournalist for NBC4, was killed alongside her pilot George Marciniw and 29-year-old Edy Gutierrez Meji, a who was on the ground. Now, new video shared with NBC4 from a nearby camera shows the final seconds of the crash with the chopper plunging quickly to the ground. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! It descends behind a building and some trees with debris flying into the air. Just seconds later, flames and thick black smoke can be seen rising from the site of the crash. Former NTSB Air Safety Investigator Jeff Guzzetti told NBC that the new vantage point of the crash will be key evidence for those investigating what happened. “I see a very high rate of descent and that is going to be helpful for investigators to determine if there was adequate altitude and air speed to effect an emergency autorotation to get the helicopter cushioned safely on the ground,” he said. “I think engine failure is going to be front and center of the NTSB’s investigation but then you have to answer the question why did the engine fail?” Some experts have suggested that the chopper may have been caught in a “dead man’s curve.” Most read in The Sun This is when the aircraft has little altitude or airspeed, meaning an emergency autorotation maneuver to salvage the landing in the event of engine failure is extremely challenging. “That’s the worst place to be if you have a problem,” Guzzetti told the LA Times. Other harrowing footage from the crash comes from inside the news helicopter showing how it violently shook as power appeared to cut out and they started to descend. In the clip, Moreno can be heard asking Marciniw, “You can’t pull up?” In an audio recording obtained by The U.S. Sun, the pilot can be heard screaming “F**k” as he tried to bring the Eurocopter AS250 B2 under control. Footage being filmed from the chopper at the time shows the road accident scene below before the camera begins to shake violently. NTSB investigator-in-charge Fabian Salazar (center) says that footage of the incident is vital to piecing together what happened, especially that from inside the chopper Credit: AP A preliminary crash report is expected from investigators in 30 days Credit: Reuters The view then suddenly pulls away as the helicopter starts rapidly losing altitude. In the final seconds of the footage, the aircraft appears to have dropped as low as surrounding buildings before it crashed. Over the coming months, investigators will piece together all available footage of the crash along with evidence collected at the scene to determine what exactly took place and to establish a timeline. Guzzetti said that footage from inside the chopper when the problem took place will be critical. The NTSB and FAA has removed the wreckage and taken it to a facility in Phoenix for further analysis. NTSB investigator-in-charge Fabian Salazar said the onboard footage reveals “sounds that are consistent with the engine changing its speed, and tones that are being generated that are likely advisories to the pilot.” He called it the “most important piece of evidence we have recovered so far.” Anyone with footage of the crash or who witnessed it, is urged to contact the investigating team. A preliminary report will be released in about 30 days while the final report could take over a year. Comment now