Jury Sides with Cirrus in $100 Million Cory Lidle Trial

Stephen Pope

Wednesday, May 25, 2011 at 07:14 PM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

A New York federal jury found Cirrus Design not responsible for the October 2006 SR20 crash that killed New York Yankees pitcher Cory Lidle and flight instructor Tyler Stanger.
The victims' widows had sued Cirrus for $100 million, alleging a binding problem with the aircraft's flight controls, which conflicted with the NTSB's finding of pilot error.
Cirrus Design expressed gratification that the jury's decision confirmed their belief and the NTSB's findings that the SR20 did not cause the accident, though the plaintiffs plan to appeal.

See a mistake? Contact us.

A New York federal jury on Tuesday found Cirrus Design does not bear any blame for the October 2006 crash of an SR20 that killed New York Yankees pitcher Cory Lidle, 34, and flight instructor Tyler Stanger, 26.

The pair crashed into a high-rise apartment building as they attempted to make a turn in the tight confines of Manhattan’s East River Corridor. The widows of Lidle and Stanger sued Cirrus for $100 million, saying a binding problem with the SR20’s flight controls prevented the men from making the turn. The theory ran counter to the NTSB’s accident findings that pilot error was to blame.