A single-engine plane owned by Yankees pitcher Cory Lidle crashed into a high-rise condominium in Manhattan Wednesday, killing Lidle and another person aboard.

Firefighters rushed to the 50-story Belaire building on the Upper East Side at East 72nd Street and York Avenue. Witnesses say a pillar of black smoke rose over the city as burning debris and fuel fell to the ground. Firefighters shot water at the fire, which engulfed several apartments on the upper floors, and extinguished the flames in less than an hour.

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R-New York) said the plane took off from Teterboro Airport in New Jersey. A law enforcement official said Lidle got his license last year, but officials could not immediately confirm whether he was piloting the plane. Lidle?s Cirrus SR20 is the first production aircraft to have a parachute as standard equipment, however it reportedly was not deployed.

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