Corey Lidle Told the New York Times that His Cirrus SR20 Plane was Safe

CNN is reporting that the small plane that crashed into a Manhattan high rise, killing at least two people, was owned by 34-year-old New York Yankee's pitcher Corey Lidle, who received his pilot's license only recently.

Responsders to the accident found Corey Lidle's passport on the ground. Lidle, who has been a pilot for seven months, received his pilot's license last off-season.

Corey bought the four-seat Cirrus SR20 for $187,000, and told the New York Times last month that he had "spent about 95 solo hours in the air" at that point.

"The whole plane has a parachute on it," Lidle told the New York Times.

Fatalistically, Corey continued in the New York Times interview: "Ninety-nine percent of pilots that go up never have engine failure, and the 1 percent that do usually land it. But if you're up in the air and something goes wrong, you pull that parachute, and the whole plane goes down slowly."

It appears Lidle may have sent a mayday call for help, but it is unclear at this point that exact nature of trouble Corey may have experienced while flying the small plane and whether or not he was able to utilize the safety features Cirrus SR20's ballistic parachute recovery system.

Our thoughts and deep prayers are with Corey's family and loved ones, and with any others who have been hurt in the incident.