Yankees previously concerned about Lidle piloting own plane

New York Yankees pitcher Cory Lidle, the pilot of the plane which smashed into a Manhattan skyscraper today, died days after the Yankees made a humiliating exit from the playoffs.

The plane was registered in his name, and his passport was found in the street below the burning skyscraper.

Lidle joined the Yankees this season from the Philadelphia Phillies, which did not like his hobby of flying a four-seater aircraft.

The Yankees - one of the most powerful US baseball franchises - were stunningly knocked out of the playoffs on Sunday (NZT) when beaten by the Detriot Tigers .

Lidle, whose was hampered by a finger injury, was criticised for his form in the series pillored by fans for saying "we got taken by surprise. We got matched up by a team that was a little more ready to play than we were."

When told that might sound to some like an indictment of the manager, he said he had been misquoted.

Lidle's habit of flying himself was an especially sensitive topic at the Yankees.

In 1979, Yankees catcher Thurman Munson died when a plane he was piloting crashed near his home in Canton, Ohio.

Lidle earned his pilot's license last offseason, and has insisted his plane is safe.

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

"Ninety-nine per cent of pilots that go up never have engine failure, and the 1 per cent that do usually land.

"But, if you're up in the air and something goes wrong, you pull that parachute, and the whole plane goes down slowly."

He said he would rather fly himself than pay for a private jet like some of his teammates.

"I think it's ridiculously overpriced," said Lidle.

He was traded to New York from Philadelphia and was earning US$3.3 million ($5.1) this year.

- NZPA