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Former Bulls Pitcher Lidle Confirmed Dead In Plane Crash

Oct 11, 2006

NEW YORK CITY — A small plane with New York Yankees pitcher Cory Lidle aboard crashed into a 50-story condominium tower Wednesday on Manhattan's Upper East Side, killing at least four people and raining flaming debris on sidewalks, authorities said.

There was no immediate confirmation Lidle was among the dead. but a law enforcement official in Washington, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Lidle -- who was with the Bulls in 1999-2000 -- was on the plane.

Federal Aviation Administration records showed the single-engine plane was registered to the athlete, who just days ago - after the Yankees' humiliating elimination from the playoffs - told reporters that he was getting his pilot's license.

The official said he did not know whether Lidle was at the controls; at least one other person was aboard the four-seat aircraft.

The crash rattled New Yorkers' nerves five years after the Sept. 11 attacks, abut the FBI and the Homeland Security quickly said there was no evidence it was anything but an accident. Nevertheless, fighter jets were sent aloft over New York and other U.S. cities as a precaution, the Pentagon said.

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 five miles from the World Trade Center -- with a loud bang, touching 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.

Firefighters shot streams of water at the flames from the floors below and put the blaze out in less than an hour.

Large crowds gathered in the street in the largely wealthy New York neighborhood, with many people in tears and some trying to reach loved ones by cell phone.

"I was worried the building would explode, so I got out of there fast," said Lori Claymont, who fled an adjoining building in sweatpants.

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 license, and said he intended to fly back to California in several days and planned to make a few stops. Lidle disccussed the plane crash of John F. Kennedy Jr. and how he had read the accident report on the National Transportation Safety Board Web site.

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 percent of pilots that go up never have engine failure, and the 1 percent 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 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.

He pitched with the Phillies before coming to the Yankees, and began his career in 1997 with the Mets. He also pitched for Tampa Bay, Oakland, Toronto and Cincinnati, as well as the Bulls, a Tampa Bay farm club.

Lidle played for two division-winning teams in 1999 and 2000, said Durham Bulls General Manager Mike Birling in a written statement early Wednesday evening. In 1999, he was 0-0 pitching in 3 games. In 2000, he posted a 6-2 record with a 2.52 ERA in nine games as a starting pitcher, with 44 strikeouts in 50 innings pitched

"This is a terrible loss for baseball and a sad day for the Durham Bulls and their fans," Birling said. " He represented the Bulls with class, always volunteering to do things in the community. Our sympathies go out to his wife, Melanie, and son, Christopher."