Federal investigators winding down probing of NY small plane crash

Federal investigators on Friday were winding down their onsite investigation of the small plane crash in Manhattan's Upper East Side.

Investigators said they were still reviewing rules that allow small aircraft to fly in Manhattan's crowded airspace.

The neighborhood where the crash occurred was getting back to normal, and police officials at the scene said they hoped to reopen the closed-off area by late Friday.

But the issues surrounding small-aircraft rules were getting a lot of attention. New York Senator Charles Schumer said he hoped the accident would serve as a wake-up call to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to re-examine flight patterns.

New York State Governor George Pataki also said the FAA needs to take a much tougher line about private, or general aviation, flights over the city.

FAA spokeswoman Laura J. Brown said Thursday the agency has decided to review those guidelines and flight restrictions.

The single-engine plane with Yankees pitcher Cory Lidle and his flight instructor on board slammed into the building Wednesday while flying over the East River, which separates Manhattan from Brooklyn and Queens and is lined with skyscrapers and landmarks, including the United Nations. He and California-based flight instructor, Tyler Stanger, were killed.

The plane looped around the Statue of Liberty, then followed the East River over the Brooklyn Bridge and past the United Nations, authorities said.

Much of the airspace over the rivers that encircle Manhattan is unrestricted for small aircraft flying under 1,100 feet, a little lower than the Empire State Building. Small planes and helicopters beneath that ceiling are not required to file flight plans or check in with air traffic controllers, as long as they are over water.

By about 96th Street, general aviation aircraft headed north must either execute a U-turn to avoid the restricted airspace around LaGuardia Airport or get permission from air traffic control to go any further. Lidle's plane struck the high-rise building near that turnaround point.

The plane was cruising at 112 mph at 700 feet as it began to make a U-turn. It was last seen on radar about a quarter-mile north of the building, in the middle of the turn, at 500 feet, according to the National Transportation Safety Board.

The crash rained pieces of fiery wreckage on the street and sidewalk. Workers in hard hats collected pieces of the wreckage Thursday and placed the charred debris neatly on a silver-colored tarp in the bed of a pickup truck as neighborhood children gathered to gawk at the jagged and twisted metal, glass shards and wheels.

Crews recovered the nose, wings, tail and instrument panel of the four-seat plane, as well as a hand-held GPS device. The workers conducted an exhaustive, floor-by-floor sweep of the building, including terraces and ledges, NTSB spokeswoman Debbie Hersman said.

Source: Xinhua