Plane crashes into Manhattan building

[Professur]

Plane crashes into Manhattan building

1 minute ago

NEW YORK - A small plane crashed into a high-rise on the Upper East Side, setting off a fire and startling New Yorkers, police said.


Fire Department spokeswoman Emily Rahimi said an aircraft struck struck the 20th floor of a building on East 72nd Street. Witnesses said the crash caused a loud noise, and burning and falling debris was seen. Flames were seen shooting out of the windows. Video from the scene showed at least three apartments in the high rise fully engulfed in flames.

There was no immediate word on any deaths or injuries.

It was not immediately known if it was a terrorist act

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[Professur]

Aircraft crashes into Manhattan building

6 minutes ago

NEW YORK - A small aircraft crashed into a high-rise on the Upper East Side, setting off a fire and startling New Yorkers, police said. There were conflicting reports on whether the aircraft was a small plane or a helicopter.
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Fire Department spokeswoman Emily Rahimi said an aircraft struck struck the 20th floor of a building on East 72nd Street. Witnesses said the crash caused a loud noise, and burning and falling debris was seen. Flames were seen shooting out of the windows. Video from the scene showed at least three apartments in the high rise fully engulfed in flames.

"There's huge pieces of debris falling," said one witness who refused to give her full name. "There's so much falling now, I've got to get away."

Whether anyone was injured was not known, and it was unclear if the crash was an act of terrorism.

The address of the building is 524 E. 72nd Street — a 50-story condominium tower built in 1986 and located nearby Sotheby's Auction House. It has 183 apartments, many of which sell for more than $1 million.

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[A.B.Normal]

NEW YORK — A small aircraft crashed into a high-rise building on Manhattan's Upper East Side Wednesday.

Local news reports quoted New York Fire Department officials as saying two people were confirmed dead. The FDNY confirmed FOX News that there are people trapped inside the building on floors above where the fire is located.

FBI spokeswoman Christine Monaco said there was no indication the crash was a terrorist attack.

There were dozens of firefighters, emergency workers and other first responders on the scene.

The crash set off a raging fire that sent a pillar of gray smoke over the city, police said. Witnesses reported seeing a gigantic fireball come out of the building, police said.

Flames could be seen shooting from windows on two upper floors of the 50-story building, near the East River. Burning debris fell from the tower, and a column of gray smoke rose over the city.

"There's huge pieces of debris falling," said one witness who refused to give her full name. "There's so much falling now, I've got to get away."

Fire Department spokeswoman Emily Rahimi said the aircraft struck the 20th floor of the building, located at 524 East 72nd Street.

The Federal Aviation Administration is handling reaction to the incident. FAA spokeswoman Diane Spitaliere that it was a small, fixed-wing aircraft that was involved, but there was very little other information collected so far. A helicopter would be expected in that area of the city; no other aircraft should be around that part of Manhattan, the FAA said.

"Everyone was running down the street, kids were screaming and crying," Rich Behar, a New York City resident and former Time magazine reporter, told FOX News. "There was a lot of horror and terror when it hit," Behar added, saying the whole ordeal reminded him of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

As of 3:25 p.m. ET, the incident had not affected flights coming in or out of the New York area.

The building is a 50-story condominium tower built in 1986 and located nearby Sotheby's Auction House. It has 183 apartments, many of which sell for more than $1 million.

A spokesman for the National Transportation Security Board said that agency is organizing a team to send to New York to investigate the crash.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,219921,00.html

 

[woodman19_99]

Reporting from the Manhattan, from what I have heard the pilot was Cory Lidle, a trade deadline acquisition from the Phillies as part of the Bobby Abreu trade and pitcher for the Yankees.

 

[spike]

Lidle and his instructor look like the only two casualties. Lidle had about 75 hours piloting experience which isn't much.

Speculation that they ran out of gas, which seems strange because they weren't far from where they lifted off.

 

[Gonz]

Add just another reason to dislike instant gratification media.

Doug Lidle and his close friend Bobby Compton played a round of golf Wednesday morning near their southern California homes. Afterward, they went into the snack bar and watched as the television news broke in with an urgent flash: A small plane had crashed into a Manhattan skyscraper.


"We were watching it on TV," Compton told ESPN.com, "not even thinking it could be Cory, because Doug thought Cory had already left."

Lisa Lidle, Doug's wife, had just spoken to their son, Cory. "See you Saturday," he'd told her. Lidle's parents were sure he was on his way home. He'd planned to fly back to California later this week, making a few stops along the way.

Not worried, the men parted ways. Compton, who is also Doug Lidle's supervisor at Century 21 Colonial in Covina, Calif., went back to the office. Soon, the news began to spread through the building: Cory Lidle, who had been a customer of the real estate group as well as a friend, might have owned the plane that crashed.

Compton called his friend.

"Hey, Doug," he remembers asking. "Is it Cory's plane or not?"

"I don't know," Lidle told him. "I'm watching it."

Just then, a television report had confirmed the plane was registered to Cory Lidle, and that his passport had been found.

"Doug, call Cory," Compton said. "And call me back."

That's how Doug Lidle found out his son wasn't coming home.

A few minutes went by. Then a few minutes more. The truth began to set in around the office.

"He didn't call me back," Compton said. "I waited a little bit and he didn't call me back. I called and called; and then I said, 'Screw it.' I drove over to see him."

He found Lidle's parents struggling to accept the loss of their son, a young man who loved flying his new airplane and playing poker.

"Doug's holding on," Compton said Wednesday evening. "He's totally devastated. But that can be expected."

Compton said Lidle's wife, Melanie, and their 6-year-old son Christopher had left New York for Los Angeles before the accident, and likely had no way of learning of the news. According to Compton, a priest planned to meet the flight at Los Angeles International Airport and break the news to Melanie Lidle that her life is forever changed.

"She doesn't know," Compton said. "She's on a plane heading home. She has no clue."

Wright Thompson is a senior writer for ESPN.com and ESPN The Magazine. He can be reached at [email protected].

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