2006 New York City plane crash

2006 New York City plane crash

The Belaire building after the fire caused by the crash was extinguished.
Accident summary
Date	October 11, 2006 (2006-10-11)
Type	Controlled flight into terrain (building)
Site	The Belaire, New York City
Crew	2
Injuries	21 (in building, including 11 firefighters)
Fatalities	2
Aircraft type	Cirrus SR20
Operator	Privet
Tail number	N929CD
Flight origin	Teterboro Airport Teterboro, New Jersey[1]

The 2006 New York City plane crash occurred on October 11, 2006, when a Cirrus SR20 general aviation, fixed-wing, single-engine light aircraft crashed into the Belaire Apartments in New York City at about 2:42 p.m. local time (18:42 UTC). The aircraft struck the north side of building, located on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, causing a fire in several apartments,^[2][3] which was extinguished within two hours.^[4]

Both people aboard the aircraft were killed in the accident: New York Yankees pitcher Cory Lidle^[3] and his certified flight instructor Tyler Stanger.^[5][6] Twenty-one people were injured, including eleven firefighters. An apartment resident, Ilana Benhuri, was hospitalized for a month with severe burns incurred when the post-impact fire engulfed her apartment.^[7]

According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the Cirrus SR20 aircraft, tail number N929CD, was owned by Lidle.^[8] On May 1, 2007, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) stated that the probable cause of the crash was pilot error. The NTSB was unable to determine which person was flying the aircraft at the time of the crash.^[9]

Aircraft flight

Immediately before the crash, radar measurements show Lidle's aircraft was flying at 112 mph (180 km/h) at 700 feet (210 m) altitude^[10] 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.^[11][12] 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.^[12]

The airplane struck the floor numbered 40th (actually 30 flights of stairs above the street^[13]) of the Belaire building at 524 East 72nd Street. The Belaire is a 42-story condominium tower containing 183 apartments,^[14] as well as a health club, garage, and pool.^[15][16]

Crash into the building

The plane hit the 30th-floor apartment numbered 40ABG, owned by Dr. Parviz Benhuri and his wife Ilana,^[17] the latter of whom was seated in the room when the plane crashed and sustained shrapnel injuries and burns. Her housekeeper was also present and helped her escape.^[18] The plane also hit an apartment owned by a woman who was in a coma for a month following an incident at the 1997 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade when high winds pushed the Cat in the Hat balloon into a lamp post, and the debris in turn hit the victim. She was not in her apartment at the time of the crash, although was en route.^[19] Among the other residents of the mixed-use high-rise is novelist Carol Higgins Clark, a resident on the 38th floor, who was interviewed by CBS Radio after she arrived at the building shortly after the crash^{[citation needed]}.

Location of plane crash on New York City's Upper East Side.

The Belaire has guest facilities for family members of patients at the Hospital for Special Surgery, to which it is connected via a causeway on the third floor. Hospital spokeswoman Phyllis Fisher reported that no patients were in the high-rise building and operations at the hospital across the street were not affected.^[20]

WNBC-TV reported that the aircraft had departed from Teterboro Airport in Teterboro, New Jersey, at 2:29 pm local time (18:29 UTC). According to multiple reports, Lidle planned on flying to Tennessee, where he had a hotel room booked for the night, then to Dallas, Texas and finally on to his home in California.^[1][21][22] There was no indication that the aircraft's Ballistic Recovery Systems emergency parachute, designed to bring the small plane down safely, was deployed.^[23] New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg said the plane circled the Statue of Liberty before flying north up the East River and disappeared from radar near the Queensboro Bridge. The FAA confirmed that the plane 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.^[24]

Reactions to the crash

East-facing view of smoke from the building (right) shortly before the fire following the crash was extinguished.

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.^[25] The crash garnered extra attention because of superficial similarities to the September 11 attacks in New York City (whose five-year anniversary had occurred one month earlier). U.S. officials said that NORAD scrambled fighter aircraft over numerous American and Canadian cities for Combat Air Patrol,^[26] and that U.S. President George W. Bush was informed about the situation, but that these were precautionary measures only.^[27] The FBI quickly announced there was no reason to suspect that the crash was an act of terrorism.^[28]

News of the crash caused a momentary 0.4% drop in the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) before the market decided the incident did not have financial implications. The Dow regained its prior level 20 minutes later.^[29]

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 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 1,500 feet (457 m) altitude. This restriction, routine for emergency scenes, was lifted the next day.^[30] New York Governor George Pataki called for permanent restrictions.^[12]

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.^[10]

NTSB investigation

On October 11, the National Transportation Safety Board dispatched a six member "Go Team" from Washington, D.C. to New York City,^[31] 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,^[32] and Lidle's flight log book.^[33] The NTSB accident number is DCA07MA003.^[34]

Results

Consistent with the November 3, 2006 preliminary report, the NTSB's May 1, 2007 final hearing determined that "pilot error" caused the plane crash that killed Lidle and his flight instructor Tyler Stanger. The investigation was unable to determine which person was at the controls. The aircraft had only about 1,700 feet (520 m) of width in which to make the 180-degree turn, but this distance was effectively reduced to 1,300 feet (400 m) by the 13-knot (24 km/h) easterly winds that day. A bank angle of at least 53 degrees (this is considered quite high) was required at turn initiation to successfully execute a 180-degree turn in this distance, which did not occur. As the turn progressed, the bank angle would have needed to have been increased, possibly resulting in a stall, but the investigation was unable to determine if the plane was in this condition 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.^{[9][35][36][37]}

According to an article on AOPA's website released on May 24, 2011, "The jury in a lawsuit Cory Lidle’s family filed against Cirrus Design issued a verdict May 24 that the aircraft did not cause the fatal Oct. 11, 2006, accident." The article further says, "The NTSB determined that the accident’s probable cause was the pilots’ inadequate planning, judgment, and airmanship in the performance of a 180-degree turn maneuver inside of a limited turning space."^[38]

See also

	New York City portal
	Aviation portal
	Disasters portal

• 1945 Empire State Building crash
• 2002 Tampa plane crash
• 2002 Pirelli Tower plane crash
• Skyscraper fire

Notes

1. ^ ^{a b} "A look at Lidle's final hours" (Dead link). Newsday. 2006-10-13. http://www.newsday.com/sports/baseball/yankees/ny-spcorytick1013,0,7510581.story?coll=ny-sports-headlines. Retrieved May 8, 2009. ^{[dead link]}
2. ^ "Yankee Pitcher Dies as Plane Crashes Into NYC High-Rise". ABC News. October 11, 2006. http://abcnews.go.com/Sports/story?id=2555263&page=1. Retrieved May 8, 2009. 
3. ^ ^{a b} "Yankees pitcher killed in crash of small plane in Manhattan". CNN. October 12, 2006. http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/10/11/plane.crash/index.html. Retrieved May 8, 2009. 
4. ^ "Yankees Player Among Two Killed In Small Plane Crash On Manhattan's UES". NY1. 2006-10-11. http://www.ny1.com/ny1/content/index.jsp?&aid=63370. Retrieved May 8, 2009. 
5. ^ Feinsand, Mark (2006-10-11). "Yankees' Lidle killed in plane crash". MLB.com. http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/article.jsp?ymd=20061011&content_id=1708962&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb. Retrieved May 8, 2009. 
6. ^ Yaniv, Oren; Leo Standora (October 12, 2006). "2nd victim died living his dream". Daily News (New York). Archived from the original on October 29, 2006. http://web.archive.org/web/20061029072634/http://www.nydailynews.com/news/local/story/461030p-387873c.html. Retrieved May 8, 2009. 
7. ^ "Woman Burned in NYC Plane Crash Released". Associated Press. Fox News. 2006-11-10. http://origin.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,228732,00.html. Retrieved May 8, 2009. 
8. ^ "N-Number Inquiry Results: N929CD". Federal Aviation Administration. 2006-05-01. http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNumSQL.asp?verified=1&NNumbertxt=929CD. Retrieved 2006-10-11. 
9. ^ ^{a b} Judgement Call: Lidle accident may lead to tighter N.Y.C. flight restrictions, Aviation Week & Space Technology, 7 May 2007, pg 92
10. ^ ^{a b} "FAA restricts low-altitude flights along East River". SportsIllustrated.com. 2006-10-13. Archived from the original on 2006-11-12. http://web.archive.org/web/20061112220728/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/baseball/mlb/10/13/lidle.faa.ap/index.html. Retrieved 2009-05-08. 
11. ^ Hauser, Christine (2006-10-12). "Crash Raises Questions About Aviation Rules". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/12/nyregion/13airspacecnd.html?hp&ex=1160712000. Retrieved May 8, 2009. 
12. ^ ^{a b c} McGeehan, Patrick; Matthew L. Wald (2006-10-12). "Lidle’s Plane Traveled Along Feared Path". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/12/nyregion/12how.html. Retrieved May 8, 2009. 
13. ^ "Yanks Mourn Loss of Pitcher Killed in Plane Crash". WCBS/AP. 2006-10-12. Archived from the original on June 6, 2008. http://web.archive.org/web/20080606041047/http://www.wcbs880.com/pages/103029.php?contentType=4&contentId=221701. Retrieved May 8, 2009. 
14. ^ "Small plane hits Manhattan building". Associated Press. The Washington Times. 2006-10-11. Archived from the original on November 16, 2006. http://web.archive.org/web/20061116024545/http://www.washtimes.com/national/20061011-030107-8393r.htm. Retrieved May 8, 2009. 
15. ^ "Belaire Condos". CondoCompany.com. 2006. Archived from the original on February 10, 2009. http://web.archive.org/web/20090210200248/http://manhattan.condocompany.com/Upper-East-Side/Belaire/. Retrieved May 8, 2009. 
16. ^ "Yankees pitcher dies as plane hits NYC building". NBC News (MSNBC). 2006-10-11. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15223650/. Retrieved May 8, 2009. 
17. ^ Barron, James (2006-10-12). "Manhattan Plane Crash Kills Yankee Pitcher". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/12/nyregion/12crash.html?_r=1&ref=nyregionspecial5&oref=slogin. Retrieved May 8, 2009. 
18. ^ Tina Moore and Dave Goldiner (2006-10-13). "Reliving horror". New York Daily News. Archived from the original on October 23, 2006. http://web.archive.org/web/20061023022221/http://www.nydailynews.com/front/story/461343p-388066c.html. Retrieved May 8, 2009. 
19. ^ Olbermann, Keith: Countdown with Keith Olbermann, MSNBC, 10/13/2006.
20. ^ Ladson, Bill (2006-10-11). "Yankees pitcher dies as plane hits NYC building". MSNBC. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15223650/page/2/. Retrieved May 8, 2009. 
21. ^ Granju, Katie (2006-10-12). "Plane that crashed into NYC high-rise headed to Tennessee". WBIR.com. http://www.wbir.com/news/regional/story.aspx?storyid=38648. Retrieved 2006-10-12. ^{[dead link]}
22. ^ Nason, David (2006-10-13). "Not terror, but lack of rules terrifying". The Australian. http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,20572353-2703,00.html. Retrieved May 8, 2009. 
23. ^ "Lidle's plane equipped with emergency parachute". Associated Press. ESPN. 2006-10-11. http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2622200. Retrieved May 8, 2009. 
24. ^ "Aircraft Accident Report - Crash During Turn Maneuver". Federal Aviation Administration. 2006-10-11. http://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/fulltext/AAB0702.html. Retrieved 2011-11-16. 
25. ^ Tyler, Kepner (2006-09-08). "In Lidle, Yanks Have Extra Pitcher and Backup Pilot". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/08/sports/baseball/08yankees.html?ex=1315368000&en=f488e3344c30a4f4&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss. Retrieved May 8, 2009. 
26. ^ "NY Yankee Cory Lidle killed in plane crash". CTV. 2006-10-11. http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20061011/nyc_plane_061011/20061011?hub=CTVNewsAt11. Retrieved May 8, 2009. 
27. ^ CNN International live television coverage, October 11, 2006
28. ^ "Aircraft hits New York building". BBC News. 2006-10-11. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6042306.stm. Retrieved May 8, 2009. 
29. ^ Fu, Scarlet (2006-10-11). "U.S. Stocks Extend Drop on Report of Small Plane Crash in N.Y.". Bloomberg. http://www.investorvillage.com/smbd.asp?mb=476&mn=9071&pt=msg&mid=601002. Retrieved May 8, 2009. 
30. ^ New York Crash Aftermath. AVWeb.com Retrieved May 8, 2009.
31. ^ "NTSB Sends Team to Investigate Plane Crash Into Building in Manhattan" (Press release). National Transportation Safety Board. 2006-10-11. http://www.ntsb.gov/Pressrel/2006/061011.htm. Retrieved May 8, 2009. 
32. ^ Barry, Ellen (2006-10-13). "NYC Crash Puts Flight Path in Politicians' Sights". The Los Angeles Times. http://articles.latimes.com/2006/oct/13/nation/na-plane13. Retrieved May 8, 2009. 
33. ^ Toosi, Nahal (2006-10-12). "Investigators Comb Lidle Plane Debris". The Connecticut Post. Archived from the original on October 14, 2006. http://web.archive.org/web/20061014145001/http://www.connpost.com/news/ci_4480661. Retrieved May 8, 2009. 
34. ^ NTSB query
35. ^ "Update on Cirrus Plane Crash in Manhattan, New York". NTSB. November 3, 2006. Archived from the original on May 14, 2009. http://web.archive.org/web/20090514235615/http://ntsb.gov/Pressrel/2006/061103.htm. Retrieved May 8, 2009. 
36. ^ Leslie Miller. "NTSB: Wind blew Lidle plane off course". http://www.redorbit.com/news/general/717902/ntsb_wind_blew_lidle_plane_off_course/index.html. Retrieved 2006-11-04. 
37. ^ flash animation, NTSB Final hearing, May 1, 2007^{[dead link]}
38. ^ "Cirrus not to blame for fatal Lidle accident, jury says". The NTSB determined that the accident’s probable cause was the pilots’ inadequate planning, judgment, and airmanship in the performance of a 180-degree turn maneuver inside of a limited turning space.. http://www.aopa.org/aircraft/articles/2011/110524cirrus_not_to_blame_for_lidle_accident.html. Retrieved 26 May 2011. 

References

• "Small aircraft hits building in Manhattan" (The New York Times)
• "Yankees pitcher Cory Lidle killed in UES plane crash" (WABC-TV)
• "Aircraft crashes into NYC building" (MSNBC)
• "Airplane crashes into Manhattan high-rise" (CNN)
• "Yankee's Lidle killed in plane crash" (TSN)
• "U.S. Stocks Extend Drop on Report of Small Plane Crash in N.Y." (Bloomberg)
• "Treasuries briefly pare losses on plane crash report" (Reuters)
• NTSB Preliminary Brief

External links

• (French) Analysis at Journal des accidents et des catastrophes
• N929CD profile with photos
• report from FDNY Communications Center on handling the crash, from 9-1-1 Magazine.

Coordinates: 40°45′57″N 73°57′08″W / 40.76583°N 73.95222°W / 40.76583; -73.95222