After a four-week trial and and a short period of deliberation, a jury found that Cirrus Design Corp.’s SR20 aircraft did not cause the 2006 fatal accident that claimed the lives of New York Yankees pitcher Cory Lidle and certified flight instructor Tyler Stanger.
“Our hearts are with the Lidle and Stanger families who are still grieving,” said Bill King, Cirrus’ Vice President of Business Administration. “We’re gratified that the jury reached a decision that confirmed what the National Transportation Safety Board found and what we have always believed: the SR20 did not cause this accident. We very much appreciate the hard work of the jury and the court in this matter.”
According to a Reuters report, the Yankees star and flight instructor were killed when the SR20 they were flying crashed into the side of an apartment building on Manhattan’s Upper East Side in October 2006. Lidle’s widow, Melanie Lidle, filed a $50 million wrongful death suit against Cirrus in 2007, alleging the plane was mechanically defective.
Federal investigators concluded a pilot error during a turn caused the fatal crash.
For more information: CirrusAircraft.com
