Halladay did aerial tricks before crash, report says

SAFETY BOARD

WASHINGTON • Roy Halladay was performing acrobatic aerial manoeuvres and had a mix of morphine, amphetamine and other prescription drugs in his system when he died in an airplane crash in the Gulf of Mexico in 2017.

Halladay was found to have had 10 times the generally recommended amount of amphetamine in his system along with an antidepressant, a muscle relaxant, a sleep aid and morphine, an opioid pain medication, according to details in a preliminary report by the National Transportation and Safety Board. A final, more detailed report is expected in several weeks and is expected to have a formal conclusion about the cause of the crash.

The 40-year-old former pitcher, an experienced pilot who died of blunt force trauma and drowning, had purchased the Icon A5, an amphibious, light-sport airplane, about a month before the crash and was known to do aerial stunts, the NTSB said. Only days before the crash, he had flown under Skyway Bridge, which spans lower Tampa Bay and has a 180-foot vertical clearance over the water, the report said.

The son of a commercial pilot, Halladay had made three low-flying manoeuvres over the water, climbing steeply after each, according to the report.

“Multiple witnesses in the area stated that they saw the airplane flying very low, between 5 and 300 ft, over the water as the airplane manoeuvred south close to the shoreline,” the report states. “Some witnesses reported that the airplane was making steep turns and highpitch climbs up to about 500 ft and that the engine sounded normal. A witness provided an image of the airplane over the water . ...

“A commercial fisherman stated that the airplane flew over his vessel at an altitude that was less than 300 ft. ”

The plane was travelling at about 85 mph, according to witnesses.

“After entering a steep climb, the airplane descended on an easterly heading in a steep nose-down attitude; the airplane’s pitch attitude decreased as the airplane continued to descend,” the report stated. “The witness reported that the airplane impacted the water in a 45 degree, nose-down, wings-level attitude.”

Halladay was a two-time Cy Young Award winner who pitched for the Toronto Blue Jays and the Philadelphia Phillies and pitched the 20th perfect game in major league history in 2010. He retired in 2013 and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2019.

Roy Halladay