Second helicopter crashes in NY

The helicopter went down seconds after the take off

A helicopter has plunged into New York's East River in the second such crash in four days.

The chief executive of credit card company MBNA was among eight people on board the Sikorsky S-76 helicopter which crashed after take-off on Friday.

One of the pilots was in critical condition, but all the other seven were discharged from a local hospital.

On Tuesday, a helicopter with seven people on board hit the river. A UK woman remains in a serious condition.

Tail-first crash

The helicopter with six passengers and two crew crashed just seconds after taking off from the 34th Street heliport in lower Manhattan, officials said.

It plunged tail-first into the water near 42nd Street and the FDR Drive highway close to the UN headquarters at about 1630 (2030 GMT).

The helicopter sank but was later pulled out of the water by a huge crane.

The helicopter was operated by MBNA Corp and the company's CEO Bruce Hammonds was one of the passengers on board.

The National Transportation Safety Board has launched an investigation to determine the cause of the crash.

On Tuesday, the helicopter, operated by Helicopter Flight Services Inc, crashed near Wall Street's Pier 6 soon after taking off.

British, French and Australian tourists were on board the helicopter.

Karen Butler, from Chelmsford, Essex, remains in a serious condition at Manhattan's Bellevue Hospital.

A National Transportation Safety Board air safety investigator said the agency hoped to have a preliminary report on the crash by the end of next week.