NTSB report details flight conditions of fatal Chatsworth helicopter crash

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has released a preliminary report regarding the September helicopter crash in Chatsworth, Los Angeles, which killed reporter Eliana Moreno, pilot George Marciniw, and bystander Edy Gutierrez Mejia.

According to the findings, the Airbus AS350 B2 helicopter was filming an SUV and Metro bus collision for approximately one hour and 24 minutes before the accident. Data indicates that in the minute preceding the crash, the aircraft was flying at an altitude of about 800 feet and had slowed to an airspeed of approximately 6 knots (7 mph). Aviation experts noted that this low ground speed may have deprived the pilot of the kinetic energy required to perform a successful autorotation maneuver.

Investigators are utilizing live broadcast footage from the helicopter to reconstruct the sequence of events. While the report details the flight conditions and the aircraft's descent, it has not yet identified a definitive cause for the crash.