Halladay had morphine in system
The body of two-time Cy Young winner Roy Halladay showed evidence of morphine, an amphetamine and the sleeping medication Ambien when it was examined after his fatal plane crash off the coast of Florida in November, according to the autopsy report.
The report by the Pinellas-Pasco medical examiner’s office also showed that Halladay’s blood alcohol content was .01. The antidepressant fluoxetine (Prozac) was also detected.
FAA regulations forbids the consumption of alcohol within eight hours of piloting a civil aircraft. The use of “any drug that affects the person’s faculties in any way contrary to safety” is prohibited.
Halladay’s single-engine aircraft had crashed in the Gulf of Mexico near Tampa, Fla., on Nov. 7. Halladay, 40, was the only occupant and he died of blunt force trauma with drowning as a contributing factor, according to the report,
National Transportation Safety Board spokesperson Terry Williams said the investigation is ongoing. The agency released a preliminary report that stated, through witness interviews and GPS information, the plane made steep climbs before descending to a few feet from the water multiple times and performed a 360-degree turn before the crash.
Halladay pitched in the majors for 16 seasons — 12 with the Blue Jays — and won two Cy Young awards. He retired after the 2013 season.