Google Earth: Images from Today’s Manhattan Plane Crash

A small airplane crashed into a 50-story residential building in Manhattan today, according to several news reports and the view out my window. Update: New York Yankees Manager Joe Torre told CNN that the plane that was a Cirrus SR-20 registered to team pitcher Cory Lidle. Here’s a now unfortunately-titled article from the NYT from last month: In Lidle, Yanks Have an Extra Pitcher and Backup Pilot.

CNN has continuing coverage. The crash is apparently not linked to terrorism. The building is 524 East 72nd Street, about 40 blocks north from where I’m working today. Here are a few images from Google Earth detailing the neighborhood. Google Earth’s pointer actually has the wrong building though
—I think the building that was hit is the taller structure across the streetthe building that was hit is the tall building, closer to the river,
on the same side of the street. (Thanks readers!)

FWIW, I had a moment of deja vu when someone in the office said a plane had crashed into a building. Back in September of 2001 I was working at an enterprise tech company in Virginia when my buddy Mike poked his head into my office and said the same thing. Glad this time it wasn’t an act of terrorism.