'Mix of Factors' Led to New York Air Crash

Mechanical failure, inexperience, the tight airspace over the city, hazy weather or a gust of wind through New York's concrete canyons could explain why a small plane failed to execute a U-turn last week and slammed into the side of a Manhattan high-rise building.

According to radar data, the single-engined plane appeared to be making a difficult, but commonly performed, left turn over a 700-metre-wide section of the East River between Manhattan and Queens when it crashed on Wednesday.

The accident killed two on board: New York Yankee baseball player Cory Lidle, 34, and his flight instructor, Tyler Stanger. Investigators said they have not yet discovered who was at the controls.

It is still not known whether the plane had a mechanical problem. The propeller was still turning when the plane hit the building and the pilot had not issued a distress call.

Some aviation experts said the incident could have been the result of pilot inexperience. Lidle was relatively new to both flying and to his secondhand plane, a Cirrus SR20. His instructor, Stanger, was a veteran pilot, but the 26-year-old Californian had limited experience flying near Manhattan. That might have made for a less-than-perfect mix in the narrow aviation corridor just east of the city's skyscrapers, on a day of low clouds and limited visibility.

In response to the crash the Federal Aviation Administration on Friday banned all aircraft except seaplanes and helicopters from flying in the East River corridor without specific permission from air traffic controllers. The ruling was welcomed by New York mayor Michael Bloomberg, a licensed pilot.