Free Republic

The crash that killed Cory Lidle, the Yankees pitcher, and his flight instructor in Manhattan on Oct. 11 was caused by “inadequate planning, judgment, and airmanship” by the two men, the National Transportation Safety Board concluded today. Mr. Lidle and his instructor, Tyler Stanger, could have safely completed their U-turn over the East River and avoided hitting an apartment building if they had either kept their turn very sharp from beginning to end, or given up on making it within legal limits, leveled the wings, maintained altitude, and flown over the buildings on the Manhattan side, board officials said. They...

WASHINGTON - A light wind was cited by federal investigators Friday for blowing a small airplane carrying Yankees pitcher Cory Lidle off course and into a New York City high-rise on Oct. 11. The National Transportation Safety Board said the wind, coupled with the pilot's inability to turn sharply, forced the aircraft away from its intended path over the East River and into the building. The airplane, which also carried flight instructor Tyler Stanger, struck the building and fell 30 stories to the street below. Investigators do not say whether they determined who was at the controls of the Cirrus...

Flying the same deadly route that brought Cory Lidle barreling into a New York City apartment building this week, our private pilot traverses the tragedy—and predicts its aftermath—in a PopularMechanics.com exclusive. PopularMechanics.com, Oct. 12, 2006 — When I was a newly minted private pilot like Yankee pitcher Cory Lidle, I did the same thing that he did: I hired an instructor to show me how to fly the Hudson VFR corridor—a flyway of unrestricted airspace that follows the western edge of Manhattan along the Hudson River. (VFR stands for “visual flight rules,” which means the only things keeping you out...

NEW YORK -- Cory Lidle's beneficiaries could lose out on a $1.5 million payout from baseball's benefit plan if it's determined that he was piloting his plane when it crashed into a Manhattan high-rise condominium. ---snip--- The plan calls for a $450,000 life insurance benefit and has an accidental death benefit of $1.05 million. However, the plan -- which applies to all big leaguers -- contains an exclusion for "any incident related to travel in an aircraft ... while acting in any capacity other than as a passenger." ---snip--- In addition, Lidle's wife is entitled to a widow's benefit under...

Well, we are all aware of the plane crash that happened in New York Wednesday in which New York Yankees pitcher Cory Lidle was killed, right? It was certainly a tragic accident that cut down a young man urn the loss and respect the family ... or at the very least wait a certain amount of time before trying to make political hay out of the incident. But not New York congressman Charlie Rangel (Dem.). No siree. HE stampedes to the cameras before the fire is even out to denounce the accident as proof of president Bush's malfeasance! The very...

NEW YORK - A small plane with New York Yankees pitcher Cory Lidle aboard crashed into a high-rise condominium tower Wednesday on the Upper East Side, killing at least two people and raining flaming debris on the sidewalks below, authorities said. The New York City medical examiner's office now says two people have died in the plane crash, not four as the office had previously reported. There was no immediate confirmation Lidle was among the dead, although a federal law enforcement official said Lidle's passport was found on the street beneath the crash site. A law enforcement official in Washington,...

Rush reports that a Cessna has been reported as crashing into (at least one) apartment complex in NYC Mannhattan's upper east side - on East 71st Street.

http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNumSQL.asp?verified=1&NNumbertxt=929CD