:2006 New York City Cirrus SR20 crash

The aircraft departed from Teterboro Airport in Teterboro, New Jersey, at 2:29 pm EDT (18:29 UTC). With the Yankees' season having come to an end four days prior, Lidle planned to fly to Nashville, Tennessee, where he had a hotel room booked for the night,{{Cite web|title=Lidle dies after plane crashes into NYC high-rise|url=https://www.espn.com/mlb/news/story?id=2621860|website=ESPN|date=October 11, 2006|access-date=August 30, 2020|archive-date=November 9, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201109020846/https://www.espn.com/mlb/news/story?id=2621860|url-status=live}} then to Dallas, Texas, and finally on to his home in California.{{cite news |title=A look at Lidle's final hours |work=Newsday |date=October 13, 2006 |url=http://www.newsday.com/sports/baseball/yankees/ny-spcorytick1013,0,7510581.story?coll=ny-sports-headlines |access-date=May 8, 2009}} {{Dead link|date=September 2010|bot=H3llBot|fix-attempted=yes}}{{cite news |last=Granju |first=Katie |title=Plane that crashed into NYC high-rise headed to Tennessee |publisher=WBIR.com |date=October 12, 2006 |url=http://www.wbir.com/news/regional/story.aspx?storyid=38648 |access-date=October 12, 2006}} {{dead link|date=July 2011}}{{cite news |last=Nason |first=David |title=Not terror, but lack of rules terrifying |work=The Australian |date=October 13, 2006 |url=http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,20572353-2703,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061031095120/http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0%2C20867%2C20572353-2703%2C00.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=October 31, 2006 |access-date=May 8, 2009}}

Radar measurements show that, immediately before the crash, Lidle's aircraft was flying at 112 mph (180 km/h) at {{convert|700|ft|m}} altitude{{cite news |title=FAA restricts low-altitude flights along East River |publisher=SportsIllustrated.com |date=October 13, 2006 |url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/baseball/mlb/10/13/lidle.faa.ap/index.html |access-date=May 8, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061112220728/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/baseball/mlb/10/13/lidle.faa.ap/index.html |archive-date=November 12, 2006}} in the East River VFR corridor, an area which former NTSB official Peter Goelz described as "very tricky" due to its narrow width and frequent congestion.{{cite news |last=Hauser |first=Christine |title=Crash Raises Questions About Aviation Rules |work=The New York Times |date=October 12, 2006 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/12/nyregion/13airspacecnd.html |access-date=May 8, 2009 |archive-date=May 2, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210502105651/https://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/12/nyregion/13airspacecnd.html |url-status=live }}{{cite news |title=Lidle's Plane Traveled Along Feared Path |first=Patrick |last=McGeehan |first2=Matthew L. |last2=Wald |work=The New York Times |date=October 12, 2006 |access-date=May 8, 2009 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/12/nyregion/12how.html |archive-date=November 14, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121114153052/http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/12/nyregion/12how.html |url-status=live }} The VFR corridor ends abruptly at the northern tip of Roosevelt Island. Aircraft must receive an air traffic control clearance to proceed beyond the boundaries of the corridor, or else make a sharp U-turn and return the way they came. Lidle's plane flew north along the corridor almost to the end before executing a turn and hitting the north face of the building along the river.

{{clear left}}

The airplane struck the Belaire, a 42-story condominium tower at 524 East 72nd Street,{{cite news |title=Small plane hits Manhattan building |agency=Associated Press |work=The Washington Times |date=October 11, 2006 |url=http://www.washtimes.com/national/20061011-030107-8393r.htm |access-date=May 8, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061116024545/http://www.washtimes.com/national/20061011-030107-8393r.htm |archive-date=November 16, 2006}} nose-first at approximately 30 stories above the ground.{{cite news |title=Yanks Mourn Loss of Pitcher Killed in Plane Crash |publisher=WCBS/AP |date=October 12, 2006 |url=http://www.wcbs880.com/pages/103029.php?contentType=4&contentId=221701 |access-date=May 8, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061120211739/http://wcbs880.com/pages/103029.php?contentType=4&contentId=221701 |archive-date=November 20, 2006}} The plane hit the apartment owned by Dr. Parviz Benhuri and his wife Ilana, the latter of whom was seated in the room when the plane crashed and, thus, sustained fragmentation injuries and burns. Her housekeeper was also present and helped her escape.{{cite news |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/front/story/461343p-388066c.html |title=Reliving horror |first1=Tina|last1=Moore|first2=Dave|last2=Goldiner|work=New York Daily News |date=October 13, 2006 |access-date=May 8, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061023022221/http://www.nydailynews.com/front/story/461343p-388066c.html |archive-date=October 23, 2006}} The engine landed in and set fire to the apartment of a woman who had suffered a previous freak accident—having been left comatose when a balloon at the 1997 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade knocked a piece of a lamppost onto her head—but the apartment was unoccupied at the time.{{cite news |last1= |title=Bad luck strikes twice for New York woman |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/bad-luck-strikes-twice-for-new-york-woman/ |access-date=November 19, 2023 |work=The Seattle Times |date=October 14, 2006}}

File:Nyc-e72st plane crash map.png]]

File:NTSB Report DCA07MA003 Map.png

The aircraft's Ballistic Recovery Systems emergency parachute, designed to bring the small plane down safely from altitudes above 500 ft, was not deployed.{{cite news |title=Lidle's plane equipped with emergency parachute |agency=Associated Press |publisher=ESPN |date=October 11, 2006 |url=https://www.espn.com/mlb/news/story?id=2622200 |access-date=May 8, 2009 |archive-date=November 13, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061113080440/http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2622200 |url-status=live }} The plane circled the Statue of Liberty before flying north up the East River and disappeared from radar near the Queensboro Bridge. It was flying under visual flight rules (VFR) and had attracted no special attention from air traffic controllers or NORAD before the crash. The aircraft took a hard U-shaped turn before it hit the building.{{cite web |title=Aircraft Accident Report – Crash During Turn Maneuver |work=Federal Aviation Administration |date=October 11, 2006 |url=https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/fulltext/AAB0702.html |access-date=November 16, 2011 |archive-date=November 8, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111108043905/http://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/fulltext/AAB0702.html |url-status=live }}

File:Belaire Condominium, 12 October 2006 (100 1498).JPG

In an interview Lidle gave about a month earlier, he stated he had been a pilot for seven months and had flown about 95 solo hours.{{cite news |last=Tyler |first=Kepner |title=In Lidle, Yanks Have Extra Pitcher and Backup Pilot |work=The New York Times |date=September 8, 2006 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/08/sports/baseball/08yankees.html |access-date=May 8, 2009 |archive-date=April 10, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090410041939/http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/08/sports/baseball/08yankees.html |url-status=live }} The crash garnered extra attention because of superficial similarities to the September 11 attacks in New York City, which had occurred five years earlier. U.S. officials said that NORAD scrambled fighter aircraft over numerous American and Canadian cities for combat air patrol,{{cite news |title=NY Yankee Cory Lidle killed in plane crash |publisher=CTV |date=October 11, 2006 |url=http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20061011/nyc_plane_061011/20061011?hub=CTVNewsAt11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070313184712/http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20061011/nyc_plane_061011/20061011?hub=CTVNewsAt11 |url-status=dead |archive-date=March 13, 2007 |access-date=May 8, 2009}} and that U.S. President George W. Bush was informed about the situation, but that these were precautionary measures only.CNN International live television coverage, October 11, 2006 The FBI quickly announced there was no reason to suspect that the crash was an act of terrorism.{{cite news |title=Aircraft hits New York building |work=BBC News |date=October 11, 2006 |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6042306.stm |access-date=May 8, 2009 |archive-date=February 4, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090204192959/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6042306.stm |url-status=live }}

LaGuardia Airport and John F. Kennedy International Airport did not experience delays from the crash. Police cordoned off several blocks at the peak of the confusion, but subway and NY Waterway ferry services continued without interruption. The FAA initially imposed a temporary flight restriction on an area within one nautical mile (1.9 km) of the scene, from ground level to {{convert|1500|ft|m}} altitude.[http://www.avweb.com/eletter/archives/avflash/726-full.html#193428 New York Crash Aftermath.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061028050925/http://www.avweb.com/eletter/archives/avflash/726-full.html#193428 |date=October 28, 2006 }} AVWeb.com Retrieved May 8, 2009. New York Governor George Pataki called for permanent restrictions,{{cite web | title=NYC high-rise plane crash probe yields more questions than answers | website=News 12 – Westchester | date=October 12, 2006 | url=https://westchester.news12.com/nyc-high-rise-plane-crash-probe-yields-more-questions-than-answers-34903524 | access-date=December 27, 2022 | archive-date=December 27, 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221227200223/https://westchester.news12.com/nyc-high-rise-plane-crash-probe-yields-more-questions-than-answers-34903524 | url-status=live }} although mayor Michael Bloomberg opposed a permanent restriction.

On October 13, 2006, two days after the crash, the FAA banned all fixed-winged aircraft from the East River corridor unless in contact with local air traffic control. The new rule, which took effect immediately, required all small aircraft (with the exception of helicopters and certain seaplanes) to seek the approval of and stay in contact with air traffic control while in the corridor. The FAA cited safety concerns, especially unpredictable winds from between buildings, as the reason for the change.

On October 11, the National Transportation Safety Board dispatched a six-member team from Washington, D.C. to New York City,{{cite press release |title=NTSB Sends Team to Investigate Plane Crash Into Building in Manhattan |website=NTSB |date=October 11, 2006 |url=https://www.ntsb.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/NTSB_Sends_Team_to_Investigate_Plane_Crash_into_Building_in_Manhattan.aspx |access-date=April 4, 2017 |archive-date=April 6, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170406030647/https://www.ntsb.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/NTSB_Sends_Team_to_Investigate_Plane_Crash_into_Building_in_Manhattan.aspx |url-status=live }} which arrived at the scene in the evening to take fuel samples and examine clues found in the debris. These included the aircraft's bent propeller, a charred memory chip, the undeployed parachute,{{cite news |last=Barry |first=Ellen |title=NYC Crash Puts Flight Path in Politicians' Sights |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |date=October 13, 2006 |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2006-oct-13-na-plane13-story.html |access-date=May 8, 2009 |archive-date=October 9, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121009002759/http://articles.latimes.com/2006/oct/13/nation/na-plane13 |url-status=live }} and Lidle's flight log book.{{cite news |last=Toosi |first=Nahal |title=Investigators Comb Lidle Plane Debris |newspaper=Connecticut Post |date=October 12, 2006 |url=http://www.connpost.com/news/ci_4480661 |access-date=May 8, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061014145001/http://www.connpost.com/news/ci_4480661 |archive-date=October 14, 2006}}

The NTSB determined at a final hearing on May 1, 2007, that "the pilots' inadequate planning, judgment, and airmanship in the performance of a 180-degree turn maneuver inside of a limited turning space" caused the crash.{{cite web |url=https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/AccidentReports/Pages/AAB0702.aspx |title=Crash During Turn Maneuver, Cirrus SR-20, N929CD |website=NTSB |date=May 1, 2007 |access-date=April 4, 2017 |archive-date=April 30, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170430005553/https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/AccidentReports/Pages/AAB0702.aspx |url-status=live }} The investigation was unable to determine whether Lidle or his flight instructor Stanger was at the controls. Although there was {{convert|2100|ft|m}} of space available, the aircraft used only about {{convert|1700|ft|m}} of width to make the 180-degree turn—but this distance was effectively reduced to {{convert|1300|ft|m}} by the {{convert|13|kn|km/h|adj=on}} easterly winds that day. A bank angle of at least 53 degrees would be required to successfully execute a 180-degree turn in this distance. If the required bank was not initiated early then, as the turn progressed, the bank angle would have needed to have been increased, possibly resulting in an aerodynamic stall. The investigation was unable to determine if the plane stalled at the time of the crash. An animation of the flight path combining radar data with a Coast Guard video of the East River was also presented.{{cite web |url=https://www.ntsb.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/Update_on_Cirrus_Plane_Crash_in_Manhattan_New_York.aspx |title=Update on Cirrus Plane Crash in Manhattan, New York |website=NTSB |date=November 3, 2006 |access-date=April 4, 2017 |archive-date=April 6, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170406033654/https://www.ntsb.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/Update_on_Cirrus_Plane_Crash_in_Manhattan_New_York.aspx |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=http://www.aviationpros.com/news/10395537/ntsb-wind-blew-lidle-plane-off-course |title=NTSB: Wind blew Lidle plane off course |first=Leslie |last=Miller |agency=AP |date=November 3, 2006 |via=aviationpros.com |access-date=April 4, 2017 |archive-date=April 5, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170405171143/http://www.aviationpros.com/news/10395537/ntsb-wind-blew-lidle-plane-off-course |url-status=live }}{{cite web |last1=NTSBgov |title=Board Meeting Animation – Crash During Turn Maneuver, Cirrus SR-20, N929CD |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5A8kNQc7iq8 |website=YouTube |publisher=National Transportation Safety Board |access-date=February 18, 2020 |archive-date=May 27, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200527223808/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5A8kNQc7iq8&gl=US&hl=en |url-status=live }}

A 2007 lawsuit brought by Lidle's family against the manufacturer of the aircraft, Cirrus Design, alleging a mechanical defect, was rejected by a jury in May 2011.{{cite web |title=Cirrus not to blame for fatal Lidle accident, jury says |url=http://www.aopa.org/aircraft/articles/2011/110524cirrus_not_to_blame_for_lidle_accident.html |first=Alyssa J. |last=Miller |date=May 24, 2011 |website=AOPA |access-date=May 26, 2011 |archive-date=May 30, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110530173400/http://www.aopa.org/aircraft/articles/2011/110524cirrus_not_to_blame_for_lidle_accident.html |url-status=live }}

It is featured in season 2, episode 4, of the TV show Why Planes Crash, in an episode called "Small Planes, Big Problem".

{{Portal|New York City|Aviation}}

• 1945 Empire State Building B-25 crash
• 1946 plane crash at 40 Wall Street
• September 11 attacks
• 2002 Tampa Cessna 172 crash
• 2002 Pirelli Tower airplane crash
• 2010 Austin suicide attack
• 2014 Wichita King Air crash
• List of fires in high-rise buildings

{{reflist|30em}}

{{refbegin|30em}}

• [https://web.archive.org/web/20061013112419/http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?section=local&id=4649965 "Yankees pitcher Cory Lidle killed in UES plane crash" (WABC-TV)]
• [https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna15223650 "Aircraft crashes into NYC building" (MSNBC)]
• [http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/10/11/plane.crash/index.html "Airplane crashes into Manhattan high-rise" (CNN)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090415025229/http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/10/11/plane.crash/index.html |date=April 15, 2009 }}
• [https://www.tsn.ca/mlb/news_story/?ID=180467&hubname= "Yankee's Lidle killed in plane crash" (TSN)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929155803/http://www.tsn.ca/mlb/news_story/?ID=180467&hubname= |date=September 29, 2007 }}
• {{cite news |last=Ladson |first=Bill |title=Yankees pitcher dies as plane hits NYC building |work=NBC News |date=October 11, 2006 |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna15223650 |access-date=May 8, 2009 |archive-date=October 12, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131012065501/http://www.nbcnews.com/id/15223650/ |url-status=live }}
• {{cite news |url=http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/10/11/plane.crash/index.html |title=An aircraft slammed into the Belaire Condominiums... |publisher=CNN |date=November 12, 2006 |access-date=October 11, 2006 |archive-date=April 15, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090415025229/http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/10/11/plane.crash/index.html |url-status=live }}

{{refend}}

{{Commons category}}

• {{in lang|fr}} [https://web.archive.org/web/20061129044532/http://www.jac.cerdacc.uha.fr/internet/recherche/Jcerdacc.nsf/91fe2b771e4d47c1c12570bc004f07f3/378d52ed9cecea38c125720d003f2787?OpenDocument Analysis at Journal des accidents et des catastrophes]
• [http://www.airport-data.com/aircraft/N929CD.html N929CD profile with photos]
• [http://www.fdnewyork.com/lidle.asp report from FDNY Communications Center on handling the crash, from 9-1-1 Magazine.]
• [http://deancollinsblog.blogspot.com/2006/10/plane-wreckage-video.html Plane Wreckage Video]

{{Aviation accidents and incidents in 2006}}

{{Aviation accidents and incidents in the United States in the 2000s}}

Plane crash

Category:Aviation accidents and incidents in 2006

Category:Aviation accidents and incidents in New York City

New York City plane crash

Category:Building and structure fires in New York City

Category:October 2006 in the United States

Category:Residential building fires in the United States

Category:Upper East Side

Category:High-rise fires in the United States

Category:Aviation accidents and incidents caused by pilot error