"Why was a plane able to fly over New York?"

Dylan Smith wrote:
On 2006-10-14, Emily wrote:
Dylan Smith wrote:
On 2006-10-13, wrote:
snip

You also have to remember, certainly in the US - many pilots simply
illegally fly over the cities (not being able to even remotely meet
14 CFR 91.119 (a)).
How does flying over a city violate that FAR?

Because, in a single engine aircraft, if the engine stopped a forced
landing could not be made without causing undue hazard to people or
property on the ground - just like the regulation says.

Is that really true, though? I've never flown over New York, but I have
flown over other large cities, and it's definitely
possible to fly high enough to land if necessary without endangering anyone.