Who Was George Marciniw? Veteran NewsChopper4 Pilot Killed in Los Angeles Helicopter Crash
George Marciniw was a veteran Southern California helicopter pilot and flight instructor who spent decades flying aircraft for news coverage, aerial filming and other aviation work.
Marciniw was identified by NBC4 Los Angeles as the pilot of NewsChopper4 when the helicopter crashed in Chatsworth on Tuesday, September 15, 2026. Aerial journalist Eliana Moreno, who was flying with him, was also killed.
Who was George Marciniw?
Marciniw grew up in Southern California and graduated from Burbank High School in 1974.
He went on to build a long career in helicopter aviation and became well known within Southern California’s aviation community.
A professional flight-instructor profile listed Marciniw as having more than 30 years of helicopter flight-instruction experience and about 14,000 hours of flight time.
His aviation work included news helicopter operations, aerial filming, flight instruction and other specialized helicopter missions.
Marciniw was also associated with Pacific Rotorways and operated from Whiteman Airport in the San Fernando Valley.
George Marciniw and NewsChopper4
Marciniw flew NewsChopper4 during aerial coverage for NBC4 Los Angeles and Telemundo 52, helping provide live views of breaking news across Southern California.
News helicopters frequently cover wildfires, police pursuits, major crashes and other rapidly developing incidents, placing pilots like Marciniw at the center of television newsgathering.
NBC4 said Marciniw and aerial journalist Eliana Moreno began flying together in 2023.
Moreno regularly referred to Marciniw during their live reports as the pair worked together above breaking-news scenes.
On September 15, NewsChopper4 was covering a deadly collision involving an SUV and a Metro bus in Chatsworth when the aircraft crashed a short distance away.
NBC4 later confirmed that Marciniw and Moreno were aboard the helicopter and were killed.
A third person on the ground also died in the crash.
The cause of the helicopter crash remains under investigation by federal aviation authorities.
