Aircraft crashes into New York high rise building...Cory Lidle confirmed dead

[Unassisted]

Here's a good article about Lidle's co-pilot/instructor who was also killed in the accident.

http://www.newsvine.com/_news/2006/1...r-loved-flying

[dman]

I found this info on a pilot's website. This is Cory's info, and what ratings he had.

Name : LIDLE, CORY FULTON
Airman's Address : 7824 SUGAR PINE BLVD
LAKELAND, FL, 33810-1383
FAA Region : Southern
Date of Medical : Nov, 2005
Class of Medical : 3
Expiration of Class 3 : Nov, 2008
Airman Certificates : Private Pilot
Airplane Single Engine Land

Just for grins and giggles, John Travolta's info also:

Name : TRAVOLTA, JOHN JOSEPH
Airman's Address : 15821 VENTURA BLVD STE 460
ENCINO, CA, 91436-4778
FAA Region : Western/Pacific
Date of Medical : Sep, 2005
Class of Medical : 1
Expiration of Class 1 : Mar, 2006
Airman Certificates : Private Pilot
Airplane Single and Multi Engine Land
Instrument Airplane

[Ltlabner]

From the book, "The Killing Zone" by Paul Craig, (McGraw Hill, pgs 10-11)...

The following is in reference to a National Transportation Saftey Board report issued in 1979. It studies general aviation accidents from 1964 to 1972 and found the following chilling conclusions:

"The 1974 study ended with a statistical summary that made a profile of the pilot who would most like be involved in a fatal, weather related accident.

1) Had recieved an adequate preflight weather breifing
2) Was on a pleasure flight
3) Had less than 100 flight hours in the aircraft being flown
4) Had a private pilot certificate
5) Had been practicing for instrument flight...
6) Had not filed a flight plan
7) Was accompanied by at least one passenger
8) And had between 100 and 299 hours of experience"

Weather has not been indicated nor ruled as a probable cause or contributing factor but the rest of the list seemingly describes Corey's fatal flight very closely.

[Ltlabner]

From Foxnews.com - "She (Debbie Hersman, NTSB investigator) said investigators were taking fuel samples, looking at maintenance records and examining Lidle's flight log book — "anything that will give us a clue about what happened."

From forbes.com - "Early examination indicates that the propellers were turning" at the time of impact, Hersman said, suggesting the engine was still running.

Both the taking of fuel samples, and the indication that the propeller was still spining would seemingly rule out fuel starvation.

From forbes.com - Hersman said the single-engine plane was cruising at 112 mph at 700 feet of altitude as it tried to make a U-turn to go south down the East River. It was last seen on radar about a quarter-mile north of the building, in the middle of the turn, at 500 feet.

IF this is true the aircraft had already decended 200' within a short period of time. IIRC the building was aprox 40 stories so assuming 10' per story that's a 400' tall building. He was only 100' above the height of the building half way through the turn and possibly still decending. From there, a number of scenarios could unfold that result in the loss of control and flight into the building.

There are also some reports that the flight instructor had either not taken a Cirrus (manufacturer of the aircraft) provided training course or had not spent time with a Cirrus certified instructor. I'm getting conflicting info there. But either way, if the flight instructor was not proficient with that particular aircraft and it's inherrent flight characteristics his ability to help Corey stay clear of trouble would be greatly diminished.

[GAC]

They reported on the news tonight though that there was very little fuel at the accident scene - below on the ground, and evaluating/gauging the size of the fire.

[Ltlabner]

Here's a link to the specifications of the SR-20 aircraft for those interested ...

http://www.cirrusdesign.com/aircraft/sr20specs/

You'll have to click on "SR20 Specifications" to the left of the screen to bring up the details as I can't seem to get the full link to work.

[Redsland]

From forbes.com - Hersman said the single-engine plane was cruising at 112 mph at 700 feet of altitude as it tried to make a U-turn to go south down the East River. It was last seen on radar about a quarter-mile north of the building, in the middle of the turn, at 500 feet.

IF this is true the aircraft had already decended 200' within a short period of time. IIRC the building was aprox 40 stories so assuming 10' per story that's a 400' tall building. He was only 100' above the height of the building half way through the turn and possibly still decending.

Yep. He'd lost 200 feet of altitude when he was half-way through the turn. If he maintained the same rate of decent throughout the turn, he'd have come through 180 degrees at an altitude of 300 feet, or about 30 stories above the ground. And sure enough, he hit the building on the 31st/32nd floors.

It seems plausible that he made a slightly wide, descending turn, followed by a quick nose-up when the wings came level and he saw a building in front of him.

Note here, for example, that a turn with a 40 degree bank at 112 mph (97 knots) has a radius of 1,000 feet. Taking that same turn with just 30 degrees of bank would cause the pilot to overshoot his target by over 500 feet. Using Google Earth, I see that the center of the building is 530 feet from the center of the river's nearest channel. So if Cory entered the turn with the intention of completing it in the center of the western channel of the East River, then a ten-degree difference in bank angle would have been the difference between being over the river, or over the building. Subtract 400 feet of altitude, and you'd have a disaster.

[Reds Fanatic]

According to this article Lidle's family may not get the benefits from the player's association if he was flying the plane at the time of the accident.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/200....ap/index.html

Cory Lidle's beneficiaries could lose out on a $1.5 million benefit from baseball's benefit plan if it's determined he was piloting his plane when it crashed into a Manhattan high-rise.

While Lidle wasn't a member of the Major League Baseball Players Association licensing plan because he was a replacement player during the 1994-95 strike, the New York Yankees pitcher was covered by the union's benefit plan.

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."

Lidle and his flight instructor, Tyler Stanger, were killed Wednesday when Lidle's four-seat Cirrus SR20 crashed into a building on the Upper East Side. While Lidle was the registered owner of the aircraft, it has not been confirmed who was at the controls.

Lidle is survived by his wife, Melanie, and 6-year-old son, Christopher. The person he designated as his beneficiary was not immediately known. In addition, Lidle's wife is entitled to a widow's benefit under baseball's plan.

Lidle had 9 years, 100 days of major league service -- 72 days shy of being fully vested. Because of that, his wife would be entitled to $166,250 annually, which is 95 percent of the $175,000 maximum, an amount indexed for inflation. There is an additional $200 monthly dependent benefit added to the payments as long as the son is unmarried and until he is 19 -- or 23 if he is a full-time student.

Lidle had just completed a $6.3 million, two-year contract he signed with Philadelphia before the 2005 season.

[vaticanplum]

An article about Cory's memorial service -- very sad. The family is asking that any donations be sent to the family of Tyler Stanger, the flight instructor who died in the crash. He was only 26, and left behind a little baby and a pregnant wife.

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/spor...=1&oref=slogin

[NJReds]

An update on the story:

Safety officials say wind blew Lidle airplane off course

By LESLIE MILLER, Associated Press Writer
November 3, 2006

WASHINGTON (AP) -- 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 SR20.

The report issued Friday said the airplane was flying along the East River between Manhattan and Queens when it attempted a U-turn with only 1,300 feet of room for the turn. To make a successful turn, the aircraft would have had to bank so steeply that it might have stalled, the NTSB said in an update on the crash.

Lidle and Stanger were making an aerial tour of Manhattan before flying back to California.

Though Stanger was an experienced pilot, Lidle was not.

Investigators found no problem with the propeller and engine, nor did they find any evidence of a fire or other damage while the airplane was in flight.

If the pilot used the full width of the river to turn, he would have had 2,100 feet, the NTSB said. Instead, the pilot was flying closer to the middle of the river, leaving a smaller margin for error, the staff report said.

Two days after the accident, the Federal Aviation Administration ordered small, fixed-wing planes not to fly over the East River unless the pilot is in contact with air traffic controllers.

Small planes could previously fly below 1,100 feet along the river without filing flight plans or checking in with air traffic control. The FAA said the rule change -- a temporary one -- was made for safety reasons.

The NTSB's update outlined factual information about the crash, but did not conclude what the probable cause of the crash was. The full board will likely vote on a ruling at a later date.