FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — A federal report says Baseball Hall of Famer Roy Halladay had drugs in his system and was doing extreme acrobatics in his small plane when it crashed into the Gulf of Mexico in 2017, killing him.
The National Transportation Safety Board said Wednesday that the former Toronto Blue Jays and Philadelphia Phillies star had amphetamine levels about 10 times therapeutic levels in his system along with other drugs that can impair judgment. He was doing a series of maneuvers when the plane suddenly nosedived into the water on Nov. 7, 2017.
The report said Halladay had sometimes come within five feet of the water before the crash.
Halladay did three maneuvers during the last two-and-a-half minutes of the flight, experiencing forces at about twice the force of gravity, the NTSB report said. It was during this time the plane was over the water by 350 feet or at sea-level.
The final recorded data point showed the plane was traveling at about 85 mph.
"A commercial fisherman stated that the airplane flew over his vessel at an altitude that was less than 300 ft. Another commercial fisherman, who was located about 900 ft north of the accident site, stated that he observed the airplane flying from the north 'really close' to houses," the report reads, in part.
"The witness reported that the airplane impacted the water in a 45° nose-down, wings-level attitude."
The report does not give a final reason for the crash, which is expected soon, the AP said.
Halladay was featured in an article by the company that produces the A5, Icon Aircraft, as he was a big fan of the plane. In the month before the crash, he posted pictures on Twitter about flying it.
"I've been dreaming about flying since I was a boy but was only able to become a pilot once I retired from baseball," Halladay said in the article that since has been removed. "I've owned other aircraft, but no aircraft embodies the adventure or captured the dream of flying like the A5. Not only is it the safest and easiest aircraft I've ever flown, it is hands-down the most fun."
Halladay told Philadelphia media earlier in 2017 he had approximately 800 hours in the air.
He played for the Blue Jayes from 1998 to 2009 and for the Phillies from 2009 to 2013. Halladay was posthumously inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame last year.
- You could get a $2,000 per month stimulus check under proposed bill
- Publix offers extended shopping hours for first responders, hospital staff
- Should Florida schools stay closed? More than 25,000 people who signed this petition say ‘yes’
- Support Tampa Bay: Which local businesses are open right now?
- The IRS is now depositing coronavirus stimulus checks | Here's what you need to know
- Hotlines, websites offer the latest on COVID-19
- Don't post your senior pictures on Facebook
FREE 10NEWS APP:
►Stay In the Know! Sign up now for the Brightside Blend Newsletter