Oct 11, 2006 5:27 pm US/Central
Yankee Pitcher Killed In N.Y. Plane Crash
2 Dead After Aircraft Hits Apartment Building
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
A small plane with New York Yankees pitcher Cory Lidle aboard crashed into a 50-story condominium tower Wednesday on Manhattan's Upper East Side, killing at least two people including Lidle, authorities said.
A law enforcement official in Washington, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Lidle was on the plane. And Federal Aviation Administration records showed the single-engine plane was registered to the athlete.
The official says he doesn't know whether Lidle was at the controls; two people were aboard, and Lidle's passport was found at the crash scene, according to the official. The plane had issued a distress call before the crash.
Just days ago, after the Yankees' first-round elimination from the MLB playoffs, Lidle told reporters that he was getting his pilot's license.
Officials also say they've found Lidle's passport on the sidewalk.
The aircraft struck the 40th and 41st floors of the Belaire apartment building on East 72nd Street, said Fire Department spokeswoman Emily Rahimi. Witnesses said the crash caused a loud noise, and burning and falling debris was seen. Flames were seen shooting out of the windows.
Federal Aviation Administration records showed the single-engine plane was registered to the athlete, who had repeatedly assured reporters in recent months that flying was safe and that the Yankees - who lost catcher Thurman Munson in the 1979 crash of a plane he was piloting - had no reason to worry.
"The flying?" Lidle told The Philadelphia Inquirer this summer. "I'm not worried about it. I'm safe up there. I feel very comfortable with my abilities flying an airplane."
The four-seater, private aircraft took off from New Jersey's Teterboro Airport around 2:30 p.m. this afternoon and was traveling along the East River corridor before slamming into the 50-story building 30 minutes later.
The aircraft was not required to be in contact because it was flying under VFR (visual flight rules), reports CBS News.
The Federal Aviation Administration only confirms that a "small plane" crashed into a 22-story apartment building on East 72nd Street. They have not confirmed reports that it was a helicopter, reports CBS News correspondent Bob Orr. The crash site is near a heliport.
A federal official tells CBS News that fighter jets have been scrambled to protect New York and Boston airspace.
Gordon McMahon, who lives in a nearby apartment building, witnessed the accident and said he heard a strange sound just before the impact.
"The sound before the impact - really we hear a lot of choppers around here - and the sound did not have the normal sound of a chopper," said McMahon. "It sounded more like a firework, as if it's going up into the air.
"Before the impact, it was sort of a buzzing sound," he said. "I was reading something, and then heard that sound and then the impact and then saw the fireball."
"There's huge pieces of debris falling," said one witness who refused to give her full name. "There's so much falling now, I've got to get away."
The Belaire apartment building was built in 1986 and is located nearby Sotheby's Auction House. It has 183 apartments, many of which sell for more than $1 million.
Cory Lidle married Melanie Varela in 1997 and has a 6-year old son, Christopher. He graduated from South Hills High School in California where he and fellow Yankee Jason Giambi were teammates.
Lidle has a twin brother Kevin who also played professional baseball, but only played in the minor leagues. Lidle started the 2006 season as a member of the Philadelphia Phillies and was acquired by the Yankees on July 31 in a deal that also brought Bobby Abreu to New York.
Lidle finished the season with a 12-10 record with a 4.85 ERA.
(© 2006 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
