The families of former New York Yankees pitcher Cory Lidle and his flight instructor Tyler Stanger claim the crash of their Cirrus SR20 into a Manhattan apartment building was caused by a catastrophic failure of the flight control system. A statement released by Todd Macaluso, the lawyer representing the families of Lidle and Stanger, claims that FAA and NTSB data show that Cirrus aircraft have a history of aileron failures and there have been other accidents involving flight control failures, several of which resulted in deaths. The suit also names Teledyne, Hartzel Propeller, S-Tec, Honeywell and Justice Aviation. The NTSB has not yet determined a cause for the Oct. 11 crash, but an update to its preliminary report released in early November focuses on the role of a 13-knot crosswind in the accident and makes no mention of control anomalies. Cirrus has declined comment on details of the crash investigation. New York television station NY1 says the cause of the crash will determine whether Lidles family gets a $1 million insurance payout from Major League Baseball. Meanwhile, the owner of an apartment 13 floors above the impact point is suing Lidles family for $7 million, claiming the crash ruined his home. Dr. Lawrence Rosenthal claims the crash loosened bricks, broke windows and caused extensive smoke damage to his apartment, which is actually three suites joined together to form a single residence. Rosenthals lawyer, David Jaroslawicz, told reporters last week that everything was destroyed in his clients apartment and he and his family had to move out. Lidles plane hit the 30th floor of the apartment building on Manhattans Upper East Side. The engine was ejected into an apartment, but most of the plane bounced off the building and fell to the street. Lidle and Stanger were sightseeing in a strip of VFR airspace called the East River Exclusion Area when the pilot (it hasnt been determined who was flying) tried to make a U-turn at the northern boundary of the area.
