June 16, 2005

British tourist in serious condition after copter crash

A tourist from England has been upgraded to serious condition from critical two days after a sightseeing helicopter she was in plunged into the East River.

"Just let people know she's going to get better," Gary Rugless said of his wife, Karen Butler, who remains in a medically induced coma after she nearly drowned during the incident, according to the Daily News.

The Bell 206L helicopter operated by Helicopter Flight Services dropped into the river Tuesday shortly after taking off from the heliport, which juts out into the river not too far north of the Staten Island Ferry terminal. The cause of the crash remains under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board.

The pilot, Yossi Benbassat, 51, is a 23-year veteran of the Israeli air force, Newsday reports. He nixed the idea he should be considered a hero for going back to help pull Butler from the helicopter after her husband said she couldn't swim. The Newsday story also notes that some of the passengers swallowed a lot of fuel-tainted water and the three Australians who held a news conference Wednesday smiled and answered "no comment" when asked if they had retained an attorney.

Three helicopters have crashed in New York City in the past decade, including one fatality in 1997, according to a separate story in Newsday.

Earlier: Tourist helicopter crashes in East River near Wall St.

June 16, 2005 08:19 AM in Tours

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