ESPN reports that New York Yankees pitcher Cory Lidle was killed in a crash that saw a single-engine plane collide into a 50-storey condominium tower in Manhattan.
A law enforcement official in Washington, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Lidle was on the plane. And Federal Aviation Administration records showed the single-engine plane was registered to the athlete, who just days ago - after the Yankees' elimination from the playoffs - told reporters that he was getting his pilot's licence.
The official said he did not know whether Lidle was at the controls; two people were aboard, and Lidle's passport was found at the crash scene, the official said. The plane had issued a distress call before the crash, according to the official.
The plane came through a hazy, cloudy sky and hit the 20th floor of the Belaire - a red-brick tower overlooking the East River, about eight kilometres from the World Trade Center. The crash caused a loud bang and touched off a raging fire that cast a pillar of black smoke over the city and sent flames shooting from four windows on two adjoining floors.
"I just saw something come across the sky and crash into that building," said Young May Cha, 23. "There was fire, debris. . The explosion was very small."
Cha said it appeared the plane was "flying erratically" before it slammed into the Belaire, where apartments sell for more than $1 million. Residents of the condo and the building next door were evacuated as thick black smoke wafted above the city skyline, and flames shot from the apartments where the plane crashed.
Firefighters shot streams of water at the flames from the floors below and put the blaze out in less than an hour.
On Sunday, the day after the Yankees were eliminated from the playoffs, Lidle cleaned out his locker at Yankee Stadium and talked about his interest in flying.
He explained to reporters the process of getting a pilot's licence, and said he intended to fly back to California in several days and planned to make a few stops. Lidle disccused the plane crash of John F. Kennedy Jr. and how he had read the accident report on the National Transportation Safety Board website.
Lidle, acquired from the Philadelphia Phillies on July 30, told the New York Times last month that his four-seat Cirrus SR20 plane was safe.
"The whole plane has a parachute on it," Lidle said. "Ninety-nine per cent of pilots that go up never have engine failure, and the one per cent that do usually land it. But if you're up in the air and something goes wrong, you pull that parachute, and the whole plane goes down slowly."
Lidle pitched 1 1/3 innings in the fourth and final game of the American League Division Series against the Detroit Tigers and gave up three earned runs, but was not the losing pitcher. He had a 12-10 regular-season record with a 4.85 ERA.
Lidle, 34, has also played for Toronto, New York Mets, Tampa Bay, Oakland and Cincinnati. He played for the Blue Jays in 2003, winning 12 games and losing 15. He was an outcast among some teammates throughout his career because he became a replacement player in 1995, when major leaguers were on strike.
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