[
NYC Jury Finds Duluth Plane Maker Was Not Responsible For Crash That Killed NY Yankees’ Lidle
May 24, 2011 The jury has reached a verdict in a national case with direct ties to Duluth.
A Minnesota airplane manufacturer isn't responsible for the deaths of New York Yankees pitcher Cory Lidle and his flight instructor, who were killed when their small plane crashed into a Manhattan apartment building, a jury concluded Tuesday.
The Manhattan jury returned its verdict after three hours of deliberation, ending a one-month trial that featured testimony by Lidle's widow and from a retired space shuttle astronaut who was called by Duluth, Minn.-based Cirrus Design Corp. to support its contention that pilot error was to blame.