NTSB Releases Factual Reports On Manhattan Cirrus Crash

Press Release

Washington, D.C. - As part of its continuing investigation into an accident involving a small plane that crashed into an apartment building in New York City last October, the National Transportation Safety Board will open a public docket and release a series of factual reports.

On October 11, 2006, about 2:42 pm eastern daylight time, a Cirrus SR-20, N929CD, crashed into an apartment building in Manhattan. Two people onboard the airplane -- New York Yankee pitcher Cory Lidle, a certificated private pilot, who was the owner of the airplane, and a passenger, who was a certificated commercial pilot with a flight instructor certificate -- were killed and the airplane was destroyed by impact forces and post crash fire. No fatalities occurred on the ground. Substantial damage occurred to several of the residences in the building.

The information being released is factual in nature and does not provide any analysis. It will include investigative group factual reports, interview transcripts, and other documents from the investigation. Additional material will be added to the docket as it becomes available. Analysis of the accident, along with conclusions and a determination of probable cause, will come at a later date when the final report on the investigation is completed.