The 10/11/6 Plane Crash

Small plane hits NYC hi-rise building at 20th floor.

Fire, but no building collapse.

Damage to the building, but nothing close to a silhouette shape of a plane on the building facade (brick).

Witness said some debris fell to the street.

At least 2 dead.

Type of plane unknown.

Cause unknown.

NORAD scrambled jets following the crash.

Pictures below at Update 5.

UPDATE 1: "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."

Imagine that!

Also: "The FAA indicates that it was a two-engine plane flying under "visual rules"--not in contact with any tower. CNN reported that the plane had taken off from Teterboro Airport in Bergen County, New Jersey."

UPDATE 2: The fire is out.

Also, this photo appears to show a burning wing on the street.

NY Times is reporting 2 people were dead on the street, I'm betting the people in the plane.

While obviously this could all be a freak accident, it's still amazingly unusual to have a plane crash into a hi-rise building.

Now reports are saying the building was 50 stories, and it looks as though the crash was about the 40th floor.

NY Times BREAKING: Yankees Pitcher Cory Lidle Was Killed in the Plane Crash, High-Ranking City Official Says.

CNN BREAKING: the plane belonged to Lidle and his passport was found in the street.

UPDATE 3: First responders to the New York plane crash say an emergency call was made from the plane indicating a possible fuel problem.

New York Yankees Manager Joe Torre told CNN that the plane that was a Cirrus SR-20 registered to team pitcher Cory Lidle.

The Cirrus is a dinky prop plane, as seen here.

UPDATE 4: they're saying 4 deaths now.

LOTS of plane debris on the gorund, as seen here and here.

Armored police with automatic weapons were guarding the crash scene.

Yahoo slideshow here.

This story now says three people inside the building died.

UPDATE 5: They're saying it was Lidle.

Oddest part is, as pointed out in comments, the date is an inverse of 9/11/01.

Pictures:




UPDATE 6: I saw Mayor Bloomberg say on TV that the plane's engine block was found in one of the apartments-- so this was no glancing blow, with the plane just bouncing off. There was some penetration.

The one somewhat suspicious thing about Lidle is that he was a bit of a MLB outcast, in that he broke with the player's union during the strike in 1995. If there was a set-up here, could this be part of the motive?

The passport on the street is odd. Do pilots normally carry a passport when they fly?

UPDATE 7: 9/11 blogger says FoxNews said this incident will help Republicans by reminding everyone of 9/11 again. Predictably nauseating, though it does suggest a motive for this being a set-up!