Aircraft Hits NYC building

[N790SW]

On Channel 7 news- reporting a hellicopter has hit a building in NYC- i am not sure of the name of the building but there is smoke coming from the building itsself - more info would be appritated. They also reported an explosion as well.





[Edited thread title -Matt]

[Matt Molnar]

Hit a building at 72nd and York. No word on injuries.

[Midnight Mike]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15223650/

[AA 777]

CNN is reporting that it was a small twin engine plane.....

[G-BOAD]

I'm watching CNN right now. somke and a fire. they say plane

[G-BOAD]

on BBC they say it was a helicopter

[Matt Molnar]

Fire is up to 3 alarms, 3 floors fully involved, reports of people trapped.

[pgengler]

Reports of plane/helicopter seem mixed; ABC said "small aircraft", Newsday says "small plane", and CNN is saying "It's unclear if it was a small plane or a helicopter."

[Ari707]

530 or 524 E. 72

[GrummanFan]

FAA is now saying it was a "small fixed-wing general aviation aircraft" flying under VFR rules.

[G-BOAD]

on BBC they said fire dept. said helicopter. they say its not terrorism, but might be fog related

[Matt Molnar]

It's a bit foggy but not thick enough that you wouldn't see a 500ft building.

LGA conditions:
Wind: 080 at 8
Visibility: 9 miles
Ceiling: 1,800 overcast

FoxNews reporting 2 confirmed deaths.

[GrummanFan]

NORAD now sending fighters to major US Cities...they still emphasize that this was most likely an accident, but this is just a precaution.

[Matt Molnar]

My boss just came up with this....if you turn 10/11/6 upside down you get 9/11/01. :shock:

[Nonstop2AUH]

I'm across town on West 72nd and I was walking back to my office and suddenly saw what looked like every emergency vehicle on the UWS hit the lights and head east, now I know why.

Amazingly nobody in the media seems to know the aircraft's origin nevermind type or tail number. This is kind of disturbing in post 9/11 NYC. It even took them awhile to correctly identify the address of the building in question.

Without any specifics, I can't help but think of Dr. Bartha here if anyone knows what I am talking about.

[Matt Molnar]

FAA confirms it was a small, fixed-wing aircraft. They also said that only helicopters belong in that area, and there's no good reason for other types of aircraft to be over that part of Manhattan. I'm not quite sure what that means, since there are GA planes going up and down the East River all the time.

[hiss srq]

Well right now it looks like the ceillings were well above the tops of everything weather was overcast at 1500 feet so visibility should not be an issue I would not think but that is my take NORAD is taking it seriously. Maybe it was a husband who was pissed that his wife got with the mailman and decided to teach her a lesson who knows but these friggin "experts" probably 80 hour cocktail pilots coming on tv about this are irking me. Seriously I mean the media and their "experts" are really something.

[GrummanFan]

Flight origionated out of TEB, apparantly. Somehow I'm getting a tv station on the LGA freqs on Live atc...

[Matt Molnar]

Without any specifics, I can't help but think of Dr. Bartha here if anyone knows what I am talking about.

I'm definitely on the "foul play" page right now, whether it was terrorists or an eccentric nut like Dr. Bartha. (Dr. Bartha was the guy who blew up his own Upper East Side building to avenge his wife's divorce a couple months back, killing himself in the process.) I'm 99% sure this was not weather related. I don't want to jump to conclusions, but I can look out the window right now, look at the pictures and video from the scene, and look at official weather observations and see that it simply was not foggy enough for a pilot not to be able to see a 500 foot building right in front of them.

Of course there are potentially non-cynical explanations for this, a catastrophic equipment failure, or the pilot suffering a sudden crippling medical condition, but that would be extraordinarily bad luck for that to happen and to hit a building.

[Matt Molnar]

!FDC 6/3156 ZNY NY.. FLIGHT RESTRICTION NEW YORK, NY. EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE. PURSUANT TO TITLE 14 CFR SECTION 99.7, SPECIAL SECURITY INSTRUCTIONS, ALL AIRCRAFT FLIGHT OPERATIONS ARE PROHIBITED. WITHIN A 1 NMR OF 404600N/0735712W OR THE LGA262003.7 UP TO AND INCLUDING 1500 FT AGL EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE, UNLESS OTHERWISE AUTHORIZED BY ATC.

[hiss srq]

I tend to agree with you Matt because I checked weather and ceillings were in the range of 1800 feet well above the estimated several hundred feet elevation this took place at and vis. is reported around 9NM

[Matt Molnar]

From Fox News Channel:

http://www.foxnews.com/photoessay/photoessay_1202_images/1011061615_M_101106_nycplane1.jpg

[hiss srq]

quite a small plane did not even really make a dent in the structure itself

[Matt Molnar]

Channel 2 saying NYPD reports no other serious injuries aside from the two deaths. No confirmation on whether the dead were both on board the plane.


The plane, reportedly a single-engine Sirrus, had apparently departed from Teterboro Airport in New Jersey shortly after 2:30 p.m. The accident occurred at 2:42 when the plane slammed into the Belaire apartment building at 524 E. 72nd Street. There is word the plane was part of a sight-seeing tour.

Another witness, who apparently works inside the building, told CBS-2 News' Scott Rapoport that she had seen a plane appear as if it was moving around almost acrobatically, and that it dropped over one building before crashing. Air restrictions prohibit aircraft from flying around these areas of the city.

[RDU-JFK]

lol, Someone at Channel 2 can't spell...it's Cirrus, not Sirrus.

[Matt Molnar]

The FAA says the plane was registered to Yankees pitcher Cory Lidle. There is no word if Lidle was in fact on the plane.

[Matt Molnar]

Channel 2 now reports 4 dead.

[GrummanFan]

They are saying his passport was found on the ground by the crash site...rip

[fly.mcs]

The news is reporting the Yankees pitcher is dead =[

Very tragic.

[Matt Molnar]

NYTimes.com:

Yankees Pitcher Cory Lidle Was Killed in the Plane Crash, High-Ranking City Official Says

[hiss srq]

oh $hit! R.I.P. to him for sure I reallyhope this does not turn out to be a suiside for whatever reason or another now.

[RDU-JFK]

Aircraft was a 2004 Cirrus SR-20. N929CD

[emshighway]

Fire is up to 3 alarms, 3 floors fully involved, reports of people trapped.

Any type of plane crash is an automatic 3rd Alarm for FDNY

[emshighway]

Plane was a Cirrus SR20 single engine, 4 seater. Left Teteboro at 14:29, circled Statue of Liberty and a few other areas then headed North.

Friend from WPIX stated they have someone who took shots of Corey Lidle getting into plane (who will be the highest bidder for those shots?)

4 DOAs confirmed from NYC OME. Presumed 2 on plane, 2 in building. 10 injuries, 6 to fire fighters.

[moose135]

Aircraft was a 2004 Cirrus SR-20. N929CD

Ran it through the FAA N-Number database, it shows:
http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry ... nquiry.asp (http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_inquiry.asp)

FAA Registry
N-Number Inquiry Results
N929CD is Assigned

Aircraft Description

Serial Number 1230
Manufacturer Name CIRRUS DESIGN CORP
Model SR20
Type Aircraft Fixed Wing Single-Engine
Pending Number Change None
Date Change Authorized None
MFR Year 2002

Type Registration Individual
Certificate Issue Date None
Status In Question
Type Engine Reciprocating
Dealer No
Mode S Code 53157717
Fractional Owner NO


Registered Owner

Name REGISTRATION PENDING
Street 7824 SUGAR PINE BLUE
City LAKELAND
State FLORIDA
Zip Code 33810
County POLK
Country UNITED STATES

Airworthiness

Engine Manufacturer LYCOMING
Engine Model I0-360-ES
Classification Standard
Category Normal

A/W Date 07/25/2002

Other Owner Names

APPLICANT LIDLE CORY
APPLICATION DATED 7/21/06 120 DAY EXT 8/29/06

Looks like it was fairly new to him. Hope that wasn't a factor.

[SCOTYDEMCO]

That really sucks! A real tragic event. My heart and condolenses go out to the team, family and friends of everyone that was killed and injured.

[hiss srq]

Again cocktail pilots and complex airplanes do not mix. You see it all too often when people with no knowladge of flying, airplanes, and complexity get in to an A36 or a SR20/22 or a Saratoga or a TBM or a Malabu and with 85 hours under their belt think they can do what they want etc..... It is a shame he died in this way but either way this guy was doomed before he took off with a plane like that.

[Nonstop2AUH]

Does anyone know if the SR-20 a particularly difficult aircraft for inexperienced pilots? I have heard much about how the parachute system makes it safer but not much about a reputation for being difficult as, say, the Bonanza has...Most of us laymen are under the impression that all small piston singles are relatively basic and easy to fly but this is obviously not the case.

[hiss srq]

I have no experince but I know people who have and they have s aid that given the wrong circumstance those birds will bit you in the ass. Supposedly the reason CAPS is installed in the plane is because though not easy to enter into a stall in one it is extremely hard to get yourself out of but again this is heresay as I have zero time in this type.

[Mellyrose]

http://nycaviation.com/topstories#nyccrash101106

[moose135]

Newsday is quoting FAA officials as saying the two dead were "a flight instructor and a student pilot."

If so, that blunts some of the speculation about Lidle being in over his head flying the Cirrus leading to the crash, if he had a qualified instructor along.

[emshighway]

Appears he only had license for about seven months.

[Tom_Turner]

Too bad they couldn't use the parachute for whatever reason....

[hiss srq]

Talking to a freind who fly's a 22 in Sarasota he told me that the release handle is quite a trick o use supposedly. If you yank it it will not deploy because it will just snap past the catches and not catch and lock. You have to use smooth fluid motion to deploy it on the handle perhaps the man panicked and yanked her nice and hard or maybe they just misjudged a turn and blam.

[Matt Molnar]

For what it's worth (not much really) the flight can be seen on Passur.

http://www4.passur.com/lga.html

Set the start time to 14:39 and click start. You'll see a general aviation plane going north up the East River at 700 feet. When it gets to around 72nd st, it makes a sudden left turn, altitude reduces to 600ft, and just before 14:42 (the reported time of the crash), it disappears.

[Alex T]

My boss just came up with this....if you turn 10/11/6 upside down you get 9/11/01. :shock:


uhm he left out the 06

it should be 10/11/06 flip it over its 10/11/09 i see what ur getting at but thats skewing the results to get what you want now if u were to reverse it....then drop the 0, sure it becomes 9/11/01 but its really skewed.

Alex

[Mateo]

The Cirrus has the parachute (CAPS system) because spin recovery was not demonstrated as part of the certification. If you spin a Cirrus, the recovery procedure is as follows:
1.) Activate parachute.
2.) Pay homage to Deity of choice while (hopefully) floating to earth.
3.) Calculate multiple of new hull/liability insurance.

The parachute handle, by the way, is located on the roof of the cabin under a safety cover, and requires about 100 lbs of downward force to activate. I picked up the fancy brochure at last year's AOPA open house, and while I can't find it right now, the chute envelope is something like >1000' AGL and <125kts. Also, once the parachute rockets through that composite material, the airframe is a loss - the expensive suite of avionics will have some residual value, but the insurance company is otherwise left with a big pile of fibreglass.

[hiss srq]

Mateo always gets to the bottom of how it works exactly. AOL has footage of it hitting the tower now supposedly via a coast gaurd cam has anyone seen it yet?

[GrummanFan]

The NY Times also has an interesting animation of the flight.

I saw the video, its a Coast Guard surveillance video from rather far away, not that good quality. All you see is the fireball, but its still kind of erie.

He was travelling north along the Hudson, then suddenly turns left 180 degress and hits the north side of the building. I'd guess some sort of mechanical failure.

[T-Bird76]

Reports of construction workers noted seeing inside the aircraft describing he looked panicked trying to fly the aircraft.

[Matt Molnar]

Today's Post spares no gory details in their description of the scene in a story titled 'Bomber' Pilot Crashes Plane.


The crash disintegrated most of the light plane, and both bodies were burned beyond recognition.

Last night, one of the victims remained strapped in his seat in the mangled cockpit, which lay on the street in front of the building.

The body of the other victim had been torn in half, with the lower part of his torso still missing.

NYTimes.com has a very impressive interactive flash animation depicting the events:
http://www.nytimes.com/packages/khtml/2 ... APHIC.html (http://www.nytimes.com/packages/khtml/2006/10/11/nyregion/20061011_CRASH_GRAPHIC.html)

And Alec Baldwin reminds us why everyone thinks he's a douche:
http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/nm/20061012/2006_10_11t163812_450x329_us_crash_newyork.jpg
Actor Alec Baldwin tries to pass a police cordon near the site where a small aircraft crashed into a high-rise building in New York, October 11, 2006. (Chip East/Reuters)

[moose135]

He was travelling north along the Hudson, then suddenly turns left 180 degress and hits the north side of the building. I'd guess some sort of mechanical failure.

He was coming up to the end of the VFR corridor on the East River - any further north and he would need clearance from LGA. Perhaps they were trying to make a turn and either misjudged the distance or maybe got into the start of an accelerated stall trying to pull the aircraft around.

[Matt Molnar]

Who was flying the plane? $1.5 million is at stake for Lidle's family due to a clause in the MLB's life insurance policy which excludes claims for "any incident related to travel in an aircraft ... while acting in any capacity other than as a passenger."

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/b ... ml?cnn=yes (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/baseball/mlb/10/12/lidle.benefits.ap/index.html?cnn=yes)

[hiss srq]

I hope to god that it was the instructor but I fear that maybe this is not the case. On the other hand it does not have a black box so it should hopefully be impossible to tell who was the PF and who was the PNF there

[emshighway]

Who was flying the plane? $1.5 million is at stake for Lidle's family due to a clause in the MLB's life insurance policy which excludes claims for "any incident related to travel in an aircraft ... while acting in any capacity other than as a passenger."

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/b ... ml?cnn=yes (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/baseball/mlb/10/12/lidle.benefits.ap/index.html?cnn=yes)

He was the applicant for the registration of the craft. My wife drives my car (god forbid) while I'm in it I am still the owner of the vehicle.

[LGA777]

One contributing factor maybe that this was the California based instructors first time ever flying in NYC area airspace.

RIP guys.

LGA777

[cancidas]

watching that passur footage was the first time i ever saw an airplane dissapear off a "radar" screen. had to sit back and contemplate that one for a second...