Aircraft hits New York building

[shazz]

A small aircraft has crashed into a building in New York City's affluent Upper East Side, causing a fire.
TV pictures show flames and smoke coming out of the high-rise apartment building on Manhattan island.
The FBI has told the BBC that there is no indication that the crash is terrorism-related.
A spokeswoman for the New York Fire Department said the aircraft had struck the 20th floor of a building on East 72nd Street.
Witnesses told the Associated Press (AP) news agency the crash caused a loud noise, and burning and falling debris was seen.
BBC correspondent Guto Harri in Manhattan says there are scenes of chaos on the streets, with fire engines, police cars and ambulances blocking nearby roads. AP identified the building as the Belaire, a prestigious 50-storey residential tower.

[shazz]

NEW YORK (CNN) -- An aircraft has crashed into the middle of a brick luxury high-rise residential building on Manhattan's Upper East Side at 72nd Street and York Avenue, police officials said.

The building is very close to the East River. There was no word on casualties as firefighters battled the flames that shot up from several windows in the middle of the building. The Federal Aviation Administration has said a "general aviation" aircraft had hit the building.

A North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) spokesperson, which monitors air traffic, told CNN that it had not been tracking the aircraft.

Witness Sarah Steiner told CNN that fires were burning on the ground. "It looks like the plane just flew into someone's living room there." (Watch the orange flames ravage the apartment -- 1:50)

"It looks as if the aircraft didn't go into the building but fell down," she said. "It may be part of the debris burning on the ground."

Steiner said that when she arrived, she saw fire shooting out of two windows on the 30th floor of the 50-story building.

Video from the scene shows at least three apartments in the high-rise fully engulfed in flames.

[golgol85]

Small Plane with Yankees Pitcher Aboard Crashes into NYC High-Rise Building

A small plane owned by Yankees pitcher Cory Lidle crashed into a high-rise building on the fashionable Upper East Side of Manhattan today, killing at least two people and igniting memories of the 9/11 tragedy.

Federal investigators ruled out another airborne terror attack, but the city's sense of relief quickly turned to grief over the accident when it was learned that the craft was owned by Lidle, who was one of the dead.

"We were very lucky," New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said at an afternoon news conference. "In this day and age, everybody is very sensitive.

"We say a prayer for those we lost, but also we should say a prayer that it was nothing more serious than this," the mayor said.

Bloomberg didn't identify who was on the plane, but Lidle's agent as well as top Yankees officials, including Manager Joe Torre, confirmed that the plane had recently been purchased by Lidle. The pitcher had received a pilot's license this year and told teammates he was planning to fly home to California today, according to the Yankees' Website.

"This is a terrible and shocking tragedy that has stunned the entire Yankees organization," Yankees owner George Steinbrenner said in a statement. "I offer my deepest condolences and prayers to his wife Melanie and son Christopher on their enormous loss."

Lidle, 34, who was born in Hollywood, pitched on Saturday in the Yankees' losing playoff effort against the Detroit Tigers.

At his televised news conference, the mayor said two people, a flight instructor and another pilot with limited experience, were killed after the deadly 12-minute flight went awry.

At one point, four people were reported dead, but Bloomberg said the only people killed were those aboard the plane.

Two people were in the condominium unit when metal and debris smashed through the building, and they fled, he said.

At least 11 firefighters were treated for minor injuries, as were some of the building's residents, Bloomberg said.

The plane flew through hazy, overcast weather into the building at 72nd Street and York Avenue about 2:42 local time or 11:42 a.m. PDT.

Bloomberg said the plane left Teterboro Airport in New Jersey about 2:30 p.m. New York time. The plane flew around the Statue of Liberty and headed north over the East River. Slightly north is Yankee Stadium in the Bronx.

Radar lost contact when the plane crossed 59th Street, less than a mile from the crash scene. A call to the city's emergency center reported the crash at 2:42 p.m.

Television stations broadcast images after the crash showing flames about one-third from the top of the building. The fire burned for about an hour before it was declared under control.

The 50-story building, the Belaire on the 500 block of East 72nd Street, between York Avenue and FDR Drive, was built in 1986 and has 183 units, according to a real estate website.

There were conflicting early reports about whether the craft was a helicopter or a small airplane, though as the day wore on the information that it was Lidle's plane emerged as officials pored through records.

There was no immediate report on what caused the crash, which took place in overcast weather with some precipitation, according to the Weather Bureau website.

Federal investigators rushed to the scene to examine if terrorism could be involved. Five years ago, New York was the scene of a devastating terror attack on the World Trade Center on September 11.

The accident will be investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board, which sent investigators to the scene from New Jersey, a spokeswoman said.

Lidle, a right-handed pitcher, began the season with the Philadelphia Phillies before he was traded to the Yankees in July. He finished the season with a 12-10 record and 4.85 ERA.

He pitched just over one inning in Saturday's playoff game, giving up four hits and three earned runs.

Lidle was a 1990 graduate of South Hills High School in Covina, where he was a teammate of fellow Yankee Jason Giambi. Lidle was married and had a 6-year-old son.