A television news helicopter crashed in Los Angeles on Tuesday night while covering the aftermath of a deadly Metro bus collision, killing at least three people and injuring one, according to KTLA.
The aircraft, operated by KNBC-TV, went down just before 7 p.m. between two commercial buildings on North Mason Avenue, the Los Angeles Fire Department said. The impact triggered an explosion that set several nearby vehicles on fire, and the condition of the surviving victim was not immediately available.
The crash site, at 9151 N. Mason Avenue, sits only a short distance from where first responders were already working a separate fatal collision involving a Metro bus and another vehicle. According to the California Post, that earlier crash killed at least two people and sent six others to hospitals in unknown condition.
A crew lost in the middle of a live story
Multiple outlets, including the Los Angeles Times, reported that KNBC lost contact with its helicopter crew as they covered the bus crash. The station’s newsroom confirmed the loss of signal shortly before the aircraft went down, according to those reports.
Video of the crash circulated on social media within minutes, showing a fireball rising between buildings in the San Fernando Valley area. The exact cause of the crash remains unknown, and no agency has publicly identified a probable factor in the downing of the aircraft.
The sequence of events left emergency crews in an unusual and grim position: responding to one fatal collision while a second disaster unfolded almost on top of them. Fire department officials said the helicopter came down in a narrow gap between commercial structures, which complicated access for rescue teams already stretched by the bus crash scene.
KNBC had been airborne as part of what has become routine local coverage of major traffic incidents in a city that relies heavily on helicopter reporting. Los Angeles stations have long used news helicopters to get above the region’s sprawling freeway system, and the practice has occasionally resulted in high-profile crashes, including a 2007 midair collision over Griffith Park that killed four journalists across two stations.
The station had not issued a detailed statement as of Tuesday night. The identities of the crew members and the person hospitalized were not released, and the Los Angeles Fire Department did not immediately provide additional information on the surviving victim’s status.
The bus collision that drew the news crew to the area remains under investigation. Officials have not said what caused the Metro bus and the other vehicle to collide, nor have they released the names of the two people killed in that crash. Six injured victims were taken to hospitals, with their conditions described as unknown.
Tuesday’s crash is likely to renew questions about the risks journalists take when covering breaking news from the air, particularly in a media market where helicopter coverage is a competitive staple. For now, investigators have not indicated whether weather, mechanical failure, or another factor played a role.
This story is developing, and officials are expected to release more details as the investigation proceeds.
Source: www.breitbart.com — https://www.breitbart.com/the-media/2026/09/15/tv-news-helicopter-crashes-los-angeles-filming-bus-crash/