Fly Damnit

Plane Crashes Into Manhattan Building

October 12th, 2006 | by Dusk |

NEW YORK

A small plane crashed into a high-rise on the Upper East Side, setting off a fire and startling New Yorkers, police said.

Fire Department spokeswoman Emily Rahimi said an aircraft struck struck the 20th floor of a building on East 72nd Street. Witnesses said the crash caused a loud noise, and burning and falling debris was seen. Flames were seen shooting out of the windows. Video from the scene showed at least three apartments in the high rise fully engulfed in flames.

A law enforcement official in Washington said Lidle — an avid pilot who got his license during last year’s offseason — was aboard the single-engine aircraft when it plowed into the 30th and 31st floors of the condominium high-rise on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. Mayor Michael Bloomberg said both people aboard were killed.

Lidle’s passport was found on the street, according to a federal official, speaking to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. It was not immediately clear who was at the controls and who was the second person aboard. There was no official confirmation of Lidle’s death from city officials.

A federal official, speaking on condition of anonymity, had said the plane issued a distress call before the crash. But
National Transportation Safety Board member Debbie Hersman said at a late-night news conference that the FAA found no indication of a mayday call.

Hersman said debris was scattered everywhere at the crash scene, including aircraft parts and headsets on the ground. The propeller separated from engine. Investigators also obtained the pilot’s log book.

The craft took off from New Jersey’s Teterboro Airport at 2:21 p.m. and was in the air for about 20 minutes, authorities said. Bloomberg said Lidle and his flying companion were sightseeing and were taking a route that took them over the Statue of Liberty, the Brooklyn Bridge and the Empire State Building.

The FAA said it was too early to determine what might have caused the crash.

How the plane managed to penetrate airspace over one of the most densely packed sections of New York City was not clear. The plane was unusual in that it was equipped with a parachute in case of engine failure, but there was no sign the chute was used.