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Second person dies after New York chopper crash

By the CNN Wire Staff
updated 8:31 PM EDT, Wed October 12, 2011
Rescuers pull people out of the water after a helicopter crashed into the East River in New York last week.
Rescuers pull people out of the water after a helicopter crashed into the East River in New York last week.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • The woman had been in critical condition since the crash
  • The NTSB is investigating the cause of the crash
  • Five people were aboard the chopper when it went down

New York (CNN) -- A second person has died from last week's helicopter crash in New York's East River, authorities said Wednesday.

Helen Tamaki, 43, had been in critical condition since the crash and died Tuesday, Bellevue Hospital spokeswoman Frances Arscott said.

A 15-member team from the National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash, which left three other people injured.

Five people were in the helicopter when it plunged into the water shortly after takeoff from a riverside helipad October 4. Four were rescued but a fifth, Sonia Marra of Sydney, Australia, drowned.

Marra, a British citizen, died on her 40th birthday. She had come to town to celebrate.

The survivors included the pilot, Paul Dudley, and Paul and Harriet Nicholson, Marra's stepfather and mother, a source close to the investigation said last week.

Tamaki was a family friend, the source said.

CNN's Rachel Garrett contributed to this story.

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