Some marginally non-baseball-related news today:
the October plane crash in Manhattan that ended Yankees pitcher Corey Lidle's life was caused by a misjudged U-turn, or so says the National Transportation Safety Board's investigators that have looked into the crash.
While they are still unsure whether Lidle or his instructor were driving the plane, they have concluded that a steep turn and an underestimation of the wind over New York that day caused the pilot to lose control over the plane.
That's not a unanimous decision, at least not where Lidle's family is concerned. They are blaming the plane manufacturer, Cirrus, for equipping the plane with a faulty steering mechanism, and the family lawyer is working hard to debunk the NTSB conclusion:
"It's not surprising, the Safety Board always blames the pilot in an accident," said the lawyer, Todd Macaluso. The families fault the plane's steering mechanism, though the NTSB found no evidence of system, structure or engine malfunction.
It's a bit sad to see the family's lawyer approaching the situation in that slightly tactless manner, but he has to do what he has to do for his clients. Can't fault him for that.
The real sadness from all of this comes from the NTSB's ruling (if it is to be believed). If the NTSB is right, Lidle and his instructor had at least three options that could have prevented the crash that day. Because neither he nor his instructor executed them, Lidle is no longer with us -- or with his clearly devastated family -- any more.
Cory Lidle, who passed away in a tragic plane accident in New York City in 2006, is now the subject of a lawsuit relating to his personal plane that crashed into a New York City apartment. His family is, according to a lawsuit filed by his agent, seeking more than $50 million in damages against Cirrus Design Corporation.
