Click to play videoNew York: Yankees pitcher Cory Lidle and his flight instructor were killed on Wednesday when the 34-year-old ballplayer's plane crashed into a high-rise apartment building in New York, city and baseball team officials said.
No residents at the Belaire Condominiums at 524 E. 72nd Street near the East River were injured. Two bodies and Lidle's passport were found in the street, responders told CNN.
"It looks like the plane just flew into someone's living room," witness Sarah Steiner told CNN. There was a mayday from the pilot involving a problem with fuel, government sources close to the investigation told CNN.
According to New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, the flight originated from Teterboro Airport in northern New Jersey at 1429 hrs. Shortly after circling the Statue of Liberty and heading north near the 59th Street Bridge, air traffic control lost contact with pilot.
Witness Henry Neimark, who is also a pilot, said he saw a plane flying at relatively low altitude. "It looked to me in retrospect that this was a pilot desperately trying to get back to the airport and land safely on a runway," he said.
Yankees owner George Steinbrenner confirmed that Lidle was killed aboard his Cirrus Design SR-20 four seater.
"This is a terrible and shocking tragedy that has stunned the entire Yankees organization," he said in a written statement. "I offer my deep condolences and prayers to his wife, Melanie, and son, Christopher, on their enormous loss."
The flight instructor has not been identified because family members have not been notified, Bloomberg told reporters. "I think we need to say a little prayer for those we lost," he said.
Sixteen people, including 11 firefighters, received minor injuries in the accident on Manhattan's East Side, the mayor said.
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More than 160 firefighters from 39 units responded to the four-alarm fire at the building constructed in 1988. It has 183 mainly two- and three-bedroom apartments valued at as much as $1.3 million. It took firefighters about 45 minutes to control the flames that shot from several windows about 10 stories from the top of the building.
Photos from a freelance photographer showed a wing and debris from the plane on the ground. An engine was found on one of the floors, Bloomberg said.
A swift federal and local response
The crash prompted a swift scramble from local authorities and the federal government. The White House was notified and North American Aerospace Defense Command said it authorised fighter aircraft into the air over numerous US cities, as NORAD did after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
The FAA placed a one-mile flight restriction around the site of the crash, but New York area airports were not affected.
A father, husband, and enthusiastic pilot
Lidle is from Hollywood, California, and played for a decade in the minor leagues, said Sports Illustrated Senior Writer Tom Verducci.
He was 4-3 for the Yankees, who acquired the right-handed pitcher in a trade with the Philadelphia Phillies on July 30.
He pitched 1 1/3 innings and gave up three runs in the Yankees' season-ending loss to Detroit in the American League Division Series on Saturday. Lidle, a nine-year veteran, was in the last year of his contract.
In his short time with the Yankees, Lidle has gained a reputation as a guy who "always had a smile on his face," said Verducci. Around the clubhouse, he "treated everyone as an equal."
Lidle was passionate about learning how to fly, the writer said. The ballplayer spent his off days logging time in the air. "[It was] only recently that [Lidle] made the money he needed to go out and buy a plane," said Verducci.
Lidle earned his pilot's license in February and bought the plane he was flying in September. Residents return while investigation continues
Bloomberg said that few people were home at Belaire when the crash happened. At least two residents who were there described a loud noise and saw pieces of metal flying into their apartment, said the mayor.
By 1800 hrs, residents who lived below the impact zone -- below the 40th floor -- were able to go back into the building, Bloomberg said.
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