NTSB: Roy Halladay was doing stunts when plane crashed, had amphetamines in system

[tier1dc]

well, that's one way to die. ESPN article

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- Baseball Hall of Famer Roy Halladay had high-levels of amphetamines in his system and was doing extreme acrobatics when he lost control of his small plane and nosedived into Tampa Bay in 2017, killing him, a National Transportation Safety Board report issued Wednesday said.

Halladay had amphetamine levels about 10 times therapeutic levels in his blood along with a high level of morphine and an anti-depressant that can impair judgement as he performed high-pitch climbs and steep turns, sometimes within 5 feet (1.5 meters) of the water, the report says about the Nov. 7, 2017, crash.

The maneuvers put loads of nearly two-times gravity on the plane, an Icon A5 Halladay had purchased a month earlier. On the last maneuver, Halladay entered a steep climb and his speed fell to about 85 miles per hour (135 kph) . The propeller-driven plane went into a nosedive and smashed into the water. The report says Halladay, 40, died of blunt force trauma and drowning.

The report does not give a final reason for the crash. That is expected to be issued soon.

About a week before the crash, the former Toronto Blue Jays and Philadelphia Phillies star had flown the plane under Tampa Bay's iconic Skyway Bridge, posting on social media, "flying the Icon A5 over the water is like flying a fighter jet!"

Halladay, an eight-time All-Star, pitched a perfect game and a playoff no-hitter in 2010. He played for the Blue Jays from 1998 to 2009 and for the Phillies from 2009-13, going 203-105 with a 3.38 ERA. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame posthumously last year.

Halladay had taken off from a lake near his home about 15 minutes before the crash and a previous report says he was flying at about 105 mph (170 kph) just 11 feet (3.3 meters) above the water before he started doing his maneuvers. He had about 700 hours of flight time after getting his pilot's license in 2013, the previous report said, including 51 hours in Icon A5s with 14 in the plane that crashed.

Rolled out in 2014, the A5 is an amphibious aircraft meant to be treated like an ATV, a piece of weekend recreational gear with folding wings that can easily be towed on a trailer to a lake where it can take off from the water.

The man who led the plane's design, 55-year-old John Murray Karkow, died while flying an A5 over California's Lake Berryessa on May 8, 2017, a crash the NTSB attributed to pilot error.

Because of that crash, Icon issued guidance to its owners two weeks before Halladay's accident saying that while low-altitude flying "can be one of the most rewarding and exciting types of flying," it "comes with an inherent set of additional risks that require additional considerations."

It added that traditional pilot training focused on high-altitude flying "does little to prepare pilots for the unique challenges of low altitude flying." Icon told the NTSB that Halladay had received and reviewed the guidance.

There is no indication in the report Halladay received low-altitude training.

[speedyjg13]

Amphetamines is code for methamphetamine? Or can something else be an "amphetamine"?

[LCM1223]

Wow, pulling 2 Gs as an amateur pilot

[tier1dc]

Originally Posted by speedyjg13

Amphetamines is code for methamphetamine? Or can something else be an "amphetamine"?

from the NTSB report



all the drugs in Halladay's system:
amphetamine,
zolpidem (Ambien)
fluoxetine (Prozac)
baclofen (muscle relaxer)
hydromorphone (opioid pain killer and likely source of morphine in his system).

dude was jacked to the tits.

[gabballplayer14]

Surprise, another high-profile athlete death, another excess of controlled substances involved in his death. Sucks, but it's tough to feel remorse for people who abuse their ability to get away with obtaining and using illegal substances (whether it's a millionaire athlete or the meth head down the street).

[doowopbruce]

Originally Posted by speedyjg13

Amphetamines is code for methamphetamine? Or can something else be an "amphetamine"?

There are many types of amphetamines outside of meth.

[JPWisco]

Originally Posted by gabballplayer14

Surprise, another high-profile athlete death, another excess of illeglal substances involved in his death. Sucks, but it's tough to feel remorse for people who abuse their ability to get away with obtaining and using illegal substances (whether it's a millionaire athlete or the meth head down the street).

It is likely Halladay had addicition/abuse issues. We should feel remorse.

[vwnut13]

Uh, didn't we know this on day one?

[gabballplayer14]

Originally Posted by JPWisco

It is likely Halladay had addicition/abuse issues. We should feel remorse.

You are definitely free to feel whatever you would like. That's the great thing about opinions!

[Geoff G]

Careful .. I commented on one of mlb’s posts on Instagram about how it seemed like drugs were involved after I read the toxicology reports .. I had said it was very irresponsible of him being a father and being in an aircraft doing that kinda stuff while intoxicated .. and his kid Braiden I think .. Lit me up on there saying I should keep my mouth closed if I didn’t know him ... I apologized and deleted my comment but only for a grieving son .. not because I thought I was wrong ..


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[tconte]

Originally Posted by vwnut13

Uh, didn't we know this on day one?

Yah, I didn't think this was news either.

[Bob Loblaw]

None of this is news. The day he died, witnesses saw him doing tricks. The tox screen came out a few weeks after his death showing the pharmacy that was Roy Halladay.



Roy and my son a few months before the accident.


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[TimBuckTwo]

Low altitude flying reference?

Does that mean don't try stunts at low altitudes? Common sense.

Or watch out for mountains? Common sense.

[vwnut13]

Originally Posted by TimBuckTwo

Low altitude flying reference?

Does that mean don't try stunts at low altitudes? Common sense.

Or watch out for mountains? Common sense.

Man flying high crashes while flying too low.

[tin8shusd]

Originally Posted by doowopbruce

There are many types of amphetamines outside of meth.

The Vyvanse that was referenced in the report is an ADD medication that I've been prescribed before. The generic version of it is simply called amphetamine - at least that's what shows on the pill bottle. Not sure if that indeed was the case here but just something worth noting.

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[THE(NEXT)LEVEL]

Sounds like suicide to me...

[mfw13]

Darwin award nominee to be sure...

[pnutbutrsangwich]

Originally Posted by tin8shusd

The Vyvanse that was referenced in the report is an ADD medication that I've been prescribed before. The generic version of it is simply called amphetamine - at least that's what shows on the pill bottle. Not sure if that indeed was the case here but just something worth noting.

Sent from my Pixel 3 using Tapatalk

Came here to say same. Vyvanse in your system would absolutely show up on a toxicology report the same way as any generic amphetamine.

Vyvanse is frankly pretty hard to abuse since its a long-release drug. If one were looking to get high, they'd be much better off with Adderal or something similar. I don't think it's fair to look at his Rx history and say "oh he's a meth addict". Could he have been taking stuff that was not on his Rx history? Absolutely... but who knows?

[Bob Loblaw]

Originally Posted by THE(NEXT)LEVEL

Sounds like suicide to me...

You're the only person to say that.