Eliana Moreno and George Marciniw killed in NBC Los Angeles helicopter crash; colleagues pay touching tributes
Eliana Moreno and George Marciniw were killed in the NBC Los Angeles helicopter crash on September 15, their colleague Roland Sprewell said on X. Sprewell covers breaking news for NBC LA in NewsChopper 4.
NBC LA also confirmed that it was Eliana Moreno and George Marciniw inside of the KNBC Chopper when it went down. The station confirmed both were killed as a result of this tragic accident.
The network had earlier confirmed that their helicopter had crashed while covering a vehicle accident in Chatsworth neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. The vehicular mishap saw an SUV ram into a Metro bus killing two. Meanwhile, the NBC helicopter crash left a total of three dead and one person injured, who’s been moved to a hospital.
While Sprewell confirmed Moreno and Marciniw had died, the identity of the third victim, who was on ground at the time of the crash, has not been released yet. Video from moments before the crash surfaced online and in the audio clip, the woman’s voice – now confirmed to belong to Moreno – could be heard asking the pilot, Marciniw, whether he could pull the chopper up.
The loss of lives in the helicopter crash has been mourned by many and colleague Roland Sprewell paid a touching tribute, while sharing a photo of them.
Eliana Moreno and George Marciniw get touching tribute
Sprewell wrote “Spread your wings and fly Eliana and George,” while noting that the latter did not appear in the photo he’d shared.
“The heavenly gates await you both. We will never know why this? Why today? But we can rest assured that God has his own Devine timing. Thank you Sis for training me to be an airborne reporter/photographer. Rest in Power!,” the NBC colleague added.
Who were Eliana Moreno and George Marciniw?
Moreno was an aerial photographer and reporter. She graduated from Chapman University and worked for NBC LA and TELEMUNDO 52 in Newschopper 4. She was based out of Orange County in Los Angeles.
Marciniw had been a helicopter flight instructor for over 30 years and had accumulated about 14,000 flight hours. His profile listed his base as Whiteman Airport in Southern California and identifies him with Pacific Rotorways Helicopter Training. Apart from flying the television channel he also instructed new and experienced pilots.
Others also paid tributes as Moreno and Marciniw were identified as the victims.
“R.I.P. to my former colleague @NBCLA @elianamoreno . She was the best at her job and she loved it. Tragedy after tragedy today,” Michael J. Duarte of The California Post wrote.
