‘We Know It’s Something Bad’: TV Crew Scrambles for Info on Downed News Helicopter in Dramatic, Heartbreaking Live Report

A news crew for NBC Los Angeles scrambled for information about a news helicopter crash — a crash which they have now confirmed involved their own helicopter — in a heartbreaking live broadcast Tuesday night.

“We know it’s something bad,” anchor Colleen Williams said at the top of the 7:00 p.m. PT hour on NBC Los Angeles.

The crash happened near the scene of a fatal bus accident which the NBC Los Angeles chopper had been covering. Reporter Robert Kovacik raced to the scene of the helicopter crash — pleading with authorities to allow him and his camera operator to get closer.

“I’m taking care of my own crew,” Kovacik said.

“This isn’t safe,” the officer replied.

Kovacik spent the next few moments trying to piece together what happened.

“We’re hearing it is a chopper down,” he said. “And honestly, I just saw … a colleague of mine from ABC in tears and concern. We don’t know where the chopper is from, we don’t even know if it is chopper, we don’t know if it’s a news chopper.”

A short time later, NBC LA’s Conan Nolan delivered a heartbreaking update.

“We can’t confirm anything other than a television news helicopter has crashed,” he said. “We can tell you that we are not in contact with our television news helicopter. We can’t confirm that is indeed the one that has hit the ground here. But we can only come to that conclusion, frankly, by the fact we can’t reach our own helicopter.”

Shortly after 9 p.m. PT, NBC LA confirmed that it was indeed their helicopter that crashed. Authorities said 3 people were killed, including one on the ground. Officials have not yet released the names of the victims.

“There’s no other way of saying it,” Nolan said — prior to confirmation that it was NBC LA’s helicopter that crashed. “This is a very sad day in this newsroom.”

Watch above, via NBC Los Angeles.

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