NYC Plane Crash Was All Too Typical

Neither pilot had apparently completed the Cirrus-designed training program suggested by the manufacturer, says Cirrus Design CEO and co-founder Alan Klapmeier. The SR-20 is a faster plane than many of its counterparts of the same size and has some special safety features, including a parachute that could carry the plane and occupants down to safety in an emergency.

Lidle's and Stanger's final flight took off the afternoon of Oct. 11. Someone in the cockpit told an air traffic controller that they planned to fly in areas that don't require a flight plan, including the scenic East River corridor.

They had several factors working against them. A 15-mph wind was blowing out of the east as they flew up the river. On a typical U-turn to the left, that wind would push them toward Manhattan.

At the same time, radar showed they were traveling at 112 mph, according to the NTSB. That speed would require a relatively wide turn unless they banked far more steeply than normal.

If they banked aggressively at 30 degrees, the turn would have carried them hundreds of feet off course over Manhattan, according to Aerodynamics for Naval Aviators, a widely used aviation manual. The wind would have put them even more off course.

The problems could have been exacerbated by banking so steeply that the plane became difficult to control, the NTSB said.

Within seconds, the plane was surrounded by skyscrapers. It cleared two nearby buildings, but slammed into a third, The Belaire at 524 E. 72nd St.