Yankee Killed In High-Rise Plane Crash
New York Yankees pitcher Cory Lidle was killed along with a second person Wednesday when his small plane crashed into a 50-story skyscraper, CBS News correspondent Bob Orr reports.
A law enforcement official in Washington, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Lidle, an avid pilot who got his flying license after last year's off-season, was aboard the single-engine aircraft when it slammed into the 20th floor of the high-rise on Manhattan's Upper East Side. Mayor Michael Bloomberg said both people aboard were killed.
Sources tell CBS News they believe Lidle was at the controls of the plane. The additional passenger was a flight instructor.
Federal Aviation Administration records showed the single-engine plane was registered to the athlete, who just days ago — after the Yankees' elimination from the playoffs — told reporters about getting his pilot's license.
The official said Lidle's passport was found at the crash scene. The plane had issued a distress call before the crash, according to the official.
The plane took off from Teterboro Airport in New Jersey and flew due east to the Hudson River and then south down the river. The plane circled the Statue of Liberty twice, then headed north along the East River. It apparently began to turn into the city as it flew near Roosevelt Island.
Dave Whitis, a friend of Lidle's, told Nashville, Tenn. radio station WGFX that the player had called him around 11:30 a.m. to say he was planning to fly to Nashville later in the day.
Additionally, The Tennessean newspaper reports on its Web site that Lidle had a reservation at the Union Station hotel in Nashville. Lidle told the radio station that he had a flight instructor with him and that there were weather cells around Nashville that might prevent him from landing in the city.
Lidle apparently had a "low" number of flight hours, Orr reports.
Sources tell Orr that fighter jets, refueling tankers and early-warning aircraft began patrolling the skies over eight American cities: New York, Washington, Boston Miami, Dallas, Seattle and Los Angeles.
Federal officials stressed the flights were not a response to any threat, but rather a proactive reaction stemming from criticisms of the slow response that followed the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
Investigators looking at radar data suspect Lidle's plane hit the building when he was trying to turn around over the East River to avoid LaGuardia Airport. That may be hard to confirm since the aircraft had no black boxes, Orr reports.
The crash rattled New Yorkers' nerves, but the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security quickly said there was no evidence it was anything but an accident. Nevertheless, fighter jets were sent aloft over New York and other cities as a precaution, the Pentagon said.
The plane came through a hazy, cloudy sky and hit the Belaire — a red-brick tower overlooking the East River, about five miles from the World Trade Center — with a loud bang, touching off a raging fire that cast a pillar of black smoke over the city and sent flames shooting from four windows on two adjoining floors.
Firefighters shot water streams at the flames from the floors below and put the blaze out in less than an hour.
"I was worried the building would explode, so I got out of there fast," said Lori Claymont, who fled an adjoining building in sweatpants.
The aircraft was not required to be in contact with air traffic control because it was flying under VFR (visual flight rules), reports CBS News.
The FAA has put a TFR (temporary flight restriction) in place, extending up to 1,500 feet in a one-mile radius around the crash. There have been no airport closures in the area as a result, an FAA spokeswoman said.
On Sunday, the day after the Yankees were eliminated from the playoffs, Lidle cleaned out his locker at Yankee Stadium and talked about his interest in flying.
He explained to reporters the process of getting a pilot's license, and said he intended to fly back to California in several days and planned to make a few stops. Lidle discussed the plane crash of John F. Kennedy Jr. and how he had read the accident report on the National Transportation Safety Board Web site.
Lidle, acquired from the Philadelphia Phillies on July 30, told The New York Times last month that his four-seat Cirrus SR20 plane was safe.
"The whole plane has a parachute on it," Lidle said. "Ninety-nine percent of pilots that go up never have engine failure, and the 1 percent that do usually land it. But if you're up in the air and something goes wrong, you pull that parachute, and the whole plane goes down slowly."
Lidle pitched 1 1/3 innings in the fourth and final game of the Division Series against the Detroit Tigers and gave up three earned runs, but was not the losing pitcher. He had a 12-10 regular-season record with a 4.85 ERA.
Yankees first baseman Jason Giambi, who was also a teammate of Lidle's in high school, said he was "in a state of shock."
"I have known Cory and his wife Melanie for over 18 years and watched his son grow up. We played high school ball together and have remained close throughout our careers. We were excited to be reunited in New York this year and I am just devastated to hear this news," Giambi said.
Lidle pitched with the Phillies before coming to the Yankees and began his career in 1997 with the Mets. He also pitched for Tampa Bay, Oakland, Toronto and Cincinnati.
Lidle was an outcast among some teammates throughout his career because he became a replacement player in 1995, when major leaguers were on strike.