Airplane crashes into Manhattan high-rise

[Kezza]

NEW YORK (CNN) -- A small airplane crashed into a 50-story residential building on Manhattan's East Side on Wednesday, killing at least two people, the New York City Fire Department and New York City Police Department said.

Flames were shooting out from several windows midway up the luxury high-rise in a residential neighborhood. Paramedics and rescue workers are treating people on the ground.

The Federal Aviation Administration described the plane as a "general aviation" fixed-wing aircraft flying under visual flight rules, meaning a pilot was flying by visual landmarks.

First responders to the New York plane crash say an emergency call was made from the plane indicating a possible fuel problem.

New York Yankees Manager Joe Torre told CNN that the plane that was a Cirrus SR-20 registered to team pitcher Cory Lidle.

The plane hit the Belaire Condominiums at 524 E. 72nd Street near the East River. More than 150 firefighters are on scene of a four-alarm fire in the building.

NORAD (North American Aerospace Defense Command) said it had put fighter aircraft into the air over numerous U.S. cities, though they said they had no reason to believe the event in New York was anything more than an accident, sources told CNN's Barbara Starr. NORAD did the same thing after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

NORAD fighters scrambled in response, according to NORAD Admiral Timothy Keating, though the White House has told CNN that they have no indication that the crash is related to terrorism. Keating would not say how many NORAD jets are up but that they are airborne as a precaution. If the crash was indeed terrorism and there was a continuing threat then NORAD is charged with shooting down any aircrafts.

"We've been in contact with our intelligence partners, coalition partners around the world," Keating told CNN. "And there are no, repeat, no indication that there is anything underfoot beyond this one airplane or helicopter."

Steve Coleman, a spokesman for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which runs New York area airports said he had "no idea where [the plane] came from."

"We haven't heard from any of our facilities that anything's missing," said Coleman.

New York City government source told CNN there are "no indications of terrorism."

The FAA placed a one-mile flight restriction around the site of the crash, but New York area airports were not affected.

A senior U.S. official in Washington said the administration was waiting for more information.

Witness Henry Neimark, who is also a pilot, said he saw a plane flying at relatively low altitude which seemed to come from LaGuardia International Airport.

"It looked to me in retrospect that this was a pilot desperately trying to get back to the airport and land safely on a runway," he said.

"The fire was raging out of two windows," witness Sarah Steiner told CNN. "It looks like the plane just flew into someone's living room."

Steiner said fires were burning on the ground. "It looks like the plane just flew into someone's living room there."

"It looks as if the aircraft didn't go into the building but fell down," she said. "It may be part of the debris burning on the ground."

Video from the scene shows at least three apartments in the high-rise engulfed in flames.

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I've been watching this story develop today and this article was the first I came across where the pilot was identified: A pitcher for the New York Yankees! I wonder how long he had his pilot's licence?

[faceless]

I just saw it a short while back and the fire's out...

[IRiSHMaFIA]

I've been watching it most of the day as well. Apparently he did an interview a couple weeks ago about being a pilot as well as a pitcher and talked about small planes crashing and why the parachute system was there.

[Skylace]

This has to be so stressful for the people living in New York. My heart goes out to them. And all those poor people now.

[eefanincan]

[Kezza]

Apparently he only had his pilot's licence for 7 months. I won't be surprised if "pilot inexperience" is one of the final findings in the investigation as to how/why this happened.

[fritz]

I had seen it on FOX news. I think they said he had an instructor pilot with him. Regardless a grave loss for his family. RIP

[Skylace]

[Kezza]

I do feel sorrow for the loss of life. What I feel joy about is that, miraculously, no residents of the apartment building that was hit died, nor did any firefighters/rescue personnel. Thank goodness for that.