Second person in plane identified

[sweetrebel]

Source cnn.com

NEW YORK (CNN) -- The flight instructor who died with baseball pitcher Cory Lidle when their plane slammed into a skyscraper in Manhattan was identified by police as Tyler Stanger.

New York Police Commissioner Ray Kelly identified Stanger in a Thursday news conference, a day after Lidle's plane hit the high-rise condo on the Upper East Side and ignited a fireball that brought back memories of the 9/11 attacks.

Stanger, the owner of Stang-AIR in La Verne, California, first met Lidle last year in Pomona, California, according to The New York Times. Stanger was 26, according to The New York Daily News.

Stanger told the Times in a September 8 article that Lidle learned to fly very quickly and had a "huge desire" to learn.

In a 2004 article in the San Gabriel Valley Tribune, Stanger said that flying is very safe. "The most dangerous part about flying is the drive to the airport," he said. "It's a wing. It's very safe. It's the wing that flies, it's not the engine."

National Transportation Safety Board members were investigating the crash site where Lidle's pilot log book, a propeller and the engine were found.

The crash into the 50-story skyscraper ignited a fire and sent up smoke that could be seen across the city skyline.

NTSB Debbie Hersman said there is a "significant amount" of damage to the building's 40th floor. (Watch her describe what she saw in the high-rise -- 4:02)

Had posted the entire article, but much of it had been posted or we all know...

[Grimmlok]

The flight instructor who died with baseball pitcher Cory Lidle when their plane slammed into a skyscraper in Manhattan was identified by police as Tyler Stanger.

A little late to know that he sucked at his job.

[LynnieD]

That's too bad. What a way to go.