[4] Both people aboard the aircraft were killed in the accident: New York Yankees pitcher Cory Lidle[3] and his certificated flight instructor Tyler Stanger.

With the Yankees' season having come to an end four days prior, Lidle planned to fly to Nashville, Tennessee, where he had a hotel room booked for the night,[11] then to Dallas, Texas, and finally on to his home in California.

[1][12][13] Radar measurements show that, immediately before the crash, Lidle's aircraft was flying at 112 mph (180 km/h) at 700 feet (210 m) altitude[14] in the East River VFR corridor, an area which former NTSB official Peter Goelz described as "very tricky" due to its narrow width and frequent congestion.

U.S. officials said that NORAD scrambled fighter aircraft over numerous American and Canadian cities for combat air patrol,[24] and that U.S. President George W. Bush was informed about the situation, but that these were precautionary measures only.

The FAA initially imposed a temporary flight restriction on an area within one nautical mile (1.9 km) of the scene, from ground level to 1,500 feet (460 m) altitude.

[28] On October 13, 2006, two days after the crash, the FAA banned all fixed-winged aircraft from the East River corridor unless in contact with local air traffic control.

The new rule, which took effect immediately, required all small aircraft (with the exception of helicopters and certain seaplanes) to seek the approval of and stay in contact with air traffic control while in the corridor.

[14] On October 11, the National Transportation Safety Board dispatched a six-member team from Washington, D.C. to New York City,[29] which arrived at the scene in the evening to take fuel samples and examine clues found in the debris.