Lidle Crash Prompts NYC Flight Changes

Flight restrictions imposed around Manhattan after New York Yankee pitcher Cory Lidle crashed his single-engine plane into an apartment tower will be made permanent, new government documents show.

This was revealed as the National Transportation Safety Board released papers Monday detailing its investigation of the Oct. 11 crash that killed Lidle and his flight instructor.

Included in the papers are toxicology reports showing that neither Lidle nor instructor Tyler Stanger had drugs or alcohol in their systems. The NTSB also found the airplane's global positioning device and cockpit display unit were too badly damaged by the fiery crash to reveal any information about the flight.

Lidle owned the Cirrus SR-20 plane, and had taken it for a midday trip past the Statue of Liberty and north up the East River. Lidle apparently ran into trouble as he attempted to turn the plane around and head back south.

After the accident, the Federal Aviation Administration temporarily ordered small, fixed wing planes not to fly over the river, which runs along Manhattan's East Side, unless the pilot would be in contact with air traffic controllers.

According to the NTSB documents, the Federal Aviation Administration on Dec. 12 "indicated that they would be proceeding with a rulemaking action to make the restrictions ... permanently effective."

The restriction remains in place, an FAA spokesman said Monday, but could not immediately confirm that the agency plans to make the rule permanent.

Small planes could previously fly below 1,100 feet along the river without filing flight plans or checking in with air traffic control.