Small Plane With Yankees Pitcher Aboard Hits Manhattan Building; 2 Reported Killed

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NEW YORK (AP) – New York Yankees pitcher Cory Lidle was presumed dead Wednesday along with a second person when their small plane veered into a high-rise condominium tower Wednesday on the Upper East Side, raining flaming debris on the sidewalks below, authorities said.

Although Mayor Bloomberg declined to identify the victims, a law enforcement official in Washington, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Lidle was aboard the plane. And Federal Aviation Administration records showed the single-engine plane was registered to the pitcher, who was a new pilot and had repeatedly assured reporters in recent days that flying was safe.

It was unclear who was at the controls when the plane, headed north up the East River on an apparent sightseeing trip, went toward Manhattan and crashed into the building between its 30th and 31st stories, Mr. Bloomberg said. Initial reports from the city of four dead were inaccurate, the mayor said.

Mr. Bloomberg said a flight instructor and a student pilot with 75 hours of experience were aboard and killed.


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