Experts Blame Faulty Controls in Lidle Plane Crash

Experts hired by the wife of late Yankees pitcher Corey Lidle, who died in a plane crash in 2006, claim the pilots tried unsuccessfully to fix a jam in the flight control system before crashing into a Manhattan skyscraper, according to court papers filed Wednesday.

Melanie Lidle is suing plane maker Cirrus Design Corp. in Federal Court. The lawsuit claims a problem with the plane's controls caused the deaths of her husband and his flight instructor Tyler Stanger, The New York Daily News reported.

The NTSB blamed the crash on a pilot misjudging a U-turn over the East River. It  was never determined if Lidle or his flight instructor was flying the plane when it crashed into the East 72nd St apartment building back on Oct. 11, 2006.

Attorneys for the plane maker asked a judge to toss out the new reports because they came late and have the potential to slow down the case, which is heading to trial later this year.

"Their initial reports contain all of the testing, analysis, and reasoning necessary to support their theory that there was a defect in the flight control system that caused these actions," Cirrus attorney Patrick Bradley wrote.
 

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