They’d been having a great time on their family trip to New York and were looking forward to their upcoming helicopter tour of the city.
Paul Nicholson, 72, and his wife Harriet, 60, were in town with their daughter, Sonia Marra Nicholson, and her partner, Helen Tamaski, to celebrate Sonia’s 40th birthday.
“I was just speaking to them last night [Monday], they were excited about taking the helicopter tour,” said an employee at the Wyndham Garden Hotel in Chelsea where the family had been staying.
“They said it was a big birthday celebration. They seemed really happy,” the woman said.
They went up in a 1978 Bell Ranger 206-B chopper, piloted by a friend, Paul Dudley, around 3:20 p.m. yesterday.
Just seconds after taking off, the helicopter began spinning wildly out of control and crashed in the East River.
Witnesses soon saw Dudley, 56, and Paul Nicholson holding on for their lives to the downed aircraft. They were pulled to safety within minutes by NYPD and FDNY divers.
Soon, Harriet and Tamaski were also rescued.
But Sonia was trapped inside the chopper and by the time emergency responders reached her, she was dead.
Dudley and Paul were released from the hospital while Harriet and Tamaski remained in critical condition.
Paul and his wife are British nationals who live in Portugal. Sonia lived with Tamaski, 43, in Sydney, Australia.
Sonia used to own a bar and restaurant in a Sydney suburb, The Sydney Morning Herald reported.