[SteveC]

I haven't flown the corridor, but we just now got back to the hotel from a drive around NYC that included a trip along the East River past the building that they hit. I don't know if they were east or west of Roosevelt Island when they started their turn, but it looks like a pretty tight area for an aircraft to do a 180. I can see where someone not experienced in the area could get in trouble in (relatively) low-vis conditions which distort distance perception, coupled with a tailwind that increases the turn radius. I could envision someone trying to make the turn and quickly running out of room and staring at a big black building (just northeast of the one they hit), deciding in a split second to try rolling out of the turn to miss the building and go around it to the west (inland), dodge the huge smokestack that suddently appears in front of you, and then run completely out of options as the winds (that have suddenly increased velocity as they channel between the buildings) shove you into the next building with nowhere left to go.