Aircraft Flight
Immediately before the crash, radar measurements show Lidle's aircraft was flying at 112 mph (180 km/h) at 700 feet (210 m) altitude in the East River VFR corridor, an area which former NTSB official Peter Goelz described as "very tricky" due to its narrow width and frequent congestion. The VFR corridor ends abruptly at the northern tip of Roosevelt Island. Aircraft must receive an air traffic control clearance to proceed beyond the boundaries of the corridor, or else make a sharp U-turn and return the way they came. Lidle's plane flew north along the corridor almost to the end before executing a turn and hitting the north face of the building along the river.
The airplane struck the floor numbered 40th (actually 30 flights of stairs above the street) of the Belaire building at 524 East 72nd Street. The Belaire is a 42-story condominium tower containing 183 apartments, as well as a health club, garage, and pool.
Read more about this topic: 2006 New York City Plane Crash
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