Chatsworth Metro Bus Crash Kills Two as News Helicopter Crash Leaves One Dead Nearby

An SUV tore into the side of a Los Angeles Metro bus in Chatsworth during Tuesday evening’s rush hour, killing two people and sending six others to hospital. Less than two hours later, a helicopter widely reported to be a news aircraft covering the emergency crashed nearby, leaving at least one additional person dead.

The crash was reported at about 5:03 p.m. on September 15 at Nordhoff Street and De Soto Avenue, a busy intersection in the San Fernando Valley. The front of a Ford SUV was left embedded in the bus, opening a large section of its left side and forcing both vehicles towards the pavement.

In its first account from the scene, the Los Angeles Fire Department said: “Firefighters are extricating the trapped patients and assessing all passengers on the bus.”

Paramedics treated several people beside the road while rescue crews moved between the SUV and the damaged bus. A woman trapped inside the bus was eventually freed and taken away by ambulance. Her condition was not immediately released.

Jennifer Middleton, an LAFD spokesperson, later confirmed the scale of the emergency. “The collision has resulted in a total of eight patients,” the department said. Six were transported to local hospitals and two were pronounced dead.

#BREAKING: NBC news helicopter crashes during live shot of bus crash in Los Angeles. pic.twitter.com/qEDWEauiST

— Insider Wire (@InsiderWire) September 16, 2026

Rescue crews faced a badly damaged bus

The impact was concentrated around the middle of the bus, where the SUV had penetrated the passenger compartment. Firefighters could be seen working through the opening while other crews prepared stretchers and cleared space for ambulances.

One of those killed died aboard the bus, according to CBS Los Angeles. A second person was ejected from one of the vehicles. Authorities had not clarified whether that victim had been travelling in the SUV or on the bus, and the names, ages and genders of both people were being withheld pending formal identification and notification of their families.

The six surviving patients were taken to nearby hospitals. Early reports described their injuries as ranging from minor to critical, but officials had not issued a patient-by-patient account by early Wednesday.

The vehicle involved was a Metro Line 166 bus travelling towards Sun Valley. The collision happened only feet from a bus stop on the Nordhoff Street corridor.

Footage from above the intersection showed the SUV almost completely buried in the side of the bus. Crews later pulled the vehicle free, revealing extensive damage to its front end and a wide opening in the bus body.

The Los Angeles Police Department is investigating the crash under incident number 3660. No arrest or citation had been announced, and police had not said which vehicle held the right of way.

The position of the wreckage suggested that the bus was moving through the intersection when the SUV struck its side. There was early speculation that one vehicle may have entered against a red light, but investigators had not confirmed that account. No evidence had been released linking the crash to alcohol, drugs, distraction or a mechanical failure.

Nordhoff Street and De Soto Avenue were closed while firefighters treated the injured, separated the vehicles and turned the scene over to investigators. LAFD said the shutdown would remain in place for an unknown period, leaving evening traffic backed up around the western San Fernando Valley.

The Mayor’s Crisis Response Team was also notified. Its volunteers typically assist families and witnesses in the immediate aftermath of fatal incidents.

News helicopter crashes near the bus collision

At 6:57 p.m., while news crews remained over the bus crash, a helicopter went down between two commercial buildings at 9151 N. Mason Avenue. The aircraft burst into flames, sending a column of black smoke above the industrial area.

First-arriving firefighters reported that the burning wreckage was exposing four nearby vehicles to flames. The helicopter appeared to have come down across shipping containers and parked vehicles before crews extinguished the fire.

One person found outside the helicopter was pronounced dead at the scene. “That person was declared deceased on scene,” LAFD Captain Branden Silverman said, according to CBS Los Angeles.

Officials had not determined how many people were inside the aircraft. Silverman said the helicopter was so badly damaged that rescue crews would need to search through the wreckage before confirming the number of occupants.

The aircraft was widely reported to be an NBC Los Angeles news helicopter that had been covering the bus collision. Reports said the station had lost contact with its pilot and reporter. LAFD had not publicly confirmed the helicopter’s operator or identified those aboard during its initial briefing, leaving those details subject to formal confirmation.

The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board were contacted to assist with the aviation investigation. LAPD opened a separate case under incident number 4127. Authorities had not released a suspected cause for the crash.

The two incidents left Chatsworth dealing with separate fatal investigations on the same evening: two people killed in the Metro bus collision and at least one person killed in the helicopter crash. The identities of the victims, the conditions of the six bus-crash survivors and the number of people aboard the aircraft had not been released by early Wednesday.