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NEW YORK - A small aircraft crashed into a high-rise on the Upper East Side, setting off a fire and startling New Yorkers, police said. There were conflicting reports on whether the aircraft was a small plane or a helicopter.

Fire Department spokeswoman Emily Rahimi said an aircraft struck struck the 20th floor of a building on East 72nd Street. Witnesses said the crash caused a loud noise, and burning and falling debris was seen. Flames were seen shooting out of the windows. Video from the scene showed at least three apartments in the high rise fully engulfed in flames.

"There's huge pieces of debris falling," said one witness who refused to give her full name. "There's so much falling now, I've got to get away."

Whether anyone was injured was not known, and it was unclear if the crash was an act of terrorism.

The address of the building is 524 E. 72nd Street — a 50-story condominium tower built in 1986 and located nearby Sotheby's Auction House. It has 183 apartments, many of which sell for more than $1 million.

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The Federal Aviation Administration said the aircraft involved was a a private plane, flying under visual flight rules on a cloudy afternoon.

The accident happened at 2:45 PM, Eastern Time.

The FBI quickly said there were no indications of terrorism.

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``They were not in contact with air-traffic control at the time.''

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``It was a fixed wing aircraft,'' Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Diane Spitaliere said.

The pilot had been flying in a corridor over the East River, she said. ``He should have been over the East River.''

She said the flight was flying by visual flight rules, meaning they didn't need to be in touch with FAA air-traffic control.

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[ 11 October 2006: Message edited by: Wilf Day ]

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Originally posted by Ward:
nevermind about koreans or 6000000 iraqis. A yankee pitcher is dead.

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