Driver Arrested, NTSB Chases Audio in Chatsworth Update

Authorities arrested the SUV driver on murder suspicion and NTSB investigators say live broadcast audio is key evidence in the Chatsworth crash.

Police say she drove her 2004 Ford Expedition the wrong way down De Soto Avenue, ran a red light, struck another vehicle and then slammed into a Metro Line 166 bus, killing two passengers and injuring as many as six others. Multiple outlets, including the Los Angeles Times and the Associated Press via CBC, corroborate the arrest, the charge and the bail amount.

In an interview with the Associated Press, the driver's mother, Cindy Rios, expressed sorrow for the families affected, saying she was shocked and that her daughter's involvement was 'extremely disturbing,' adding, 'If anything, I'm sorry for the other families. My daughter's alive. People lost their lives.' The third helicopter victim was identified as 29-year-old Edy Gutierrez Mejia, whom The Hollywood Reporter reports was on the ground in the parking lot where the aircraft came down.

At a Wednesday briefing, NTSB senior air safety investigator Fabian Salazar called the recording of the crew's live television report 'probably the most important evidence that we have discovered so far,' according to KOMO. He said the audio contains sounds consistent with the engine changing its speed and tones that may have been pilot advisories, while cautioning that no cause has been determined. Investigators plan to obtain a pristine copy of the recording and send it to the NTSB's recorder laboratory for sound-spectrum analysis, and they are reviewing maintenance records, weather, pilot training and nearby security camera video.

The Airbus Helicopters AS350 B-2, registered N358TV, went down about 7 p.m. Tuesday between commercial buildings in the 9100 block of Mason Avenue and caught fire after substantial damage. KOMO reports that NTSB investigators, FAA personnel and representatives for the airframe and engine manufacturers examined the wreckage Wednesday before it is moved to a secure facility. Salazar said a preliminary report is expected within about 30 days.

NBC Los Angeles reports that flowers and balloons were placed outside the NBCLA and Telemundo 52 studios in Universal City, a bouquet of roses was left on a chain-link fence at the Chatsworth crash site, and memorials appeared at Whiteman Airport in Pacoima, where the helicopter was based. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass praised first responders who rushed to two 'incredibly difficult' incidents within hours, and County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath acknowledged the riders, bus operators and news community carrying the tragedy. California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy also shared condolences with the NBC4 family.

Salazar asked anyone with information about either the traffic collision or the helicopter crash to contact the agency at witness@ntsb.gov. The Los Angeles Times reports the NTSB and FAA are both investigating, and questions remain about the helicopter's altitude, whether it was operating in or out of ground effect, and why the rotors stopped spinning despite fuel remaining aboard.