Roy Halladay Crash Dissected: Drugs Were the Least Of It

On April 14th, 2020, the NTSB released the docket for the fatal crash of an Icon A5 piloted by baseball star Roy Halladay. In this video, AVweb's Paul Bertorelli comments on the docket findings.

[Fresno]

Finally a news report that is fair to the airplane manufacturer.

[icegiant]

"Your grandmother could fly under the bridge, but that doesn't mean you should." Well put.

[Boodonk]

I have flown these A5s and they are intoxicating. One of the things the instructor kept repeating was "even if you can, doesn't mean you should. Never lose respect for these machines." This is an outstanding report. Well done.

[zzzzzzmc]

mad props to the dad, Halliday Sr, for being so candid in interviews. With the passing in such a recent memory it can't be easy

[theuntangledmind]

As a new pilot, I really appreciate your straightforward, laid back explanation of what really happened, and your compassion towards those struggling with addiction- 10/10

[JayStClair-mhwv]

This is the best aviation source when you want the bottom line with no added BS.

[IslandSimPilot]

We really don't need to get too fancy here. The guy had appalling judgment, took idiotic risks, and paid the price. End of story.

[tamoroso]

I'm a physician who (among other things) helps people manage and control their addictions. Your comments on addiction as a disease were well said and on the money. Thank you.

[genericyoutube]

Ending on a compassionate note, so honorable. It was stupid of him, but it is a disease. We all have different demons to fight.

[ronricherson]

When I was a teenager, I flew with dad Don, his boss and his two sons from Vegas to L.A. in their Cessna 210. We saw a Rams game with some friends who lived in CA on Monday night, partied into the next day and flew home in the evening. All had been drinking except me. As our CA friends dropped us off, the pilot, my dads boss was definitely beyond buzzed and not fit to fly. He jokingly said, "All aboard the champagne flight to Las Vegas!" Everyone laughed, but I was nervous; especially when Don also said, "I'm not worried about navigation, once you're airborne and flying in the general direction of Vegas, you just fly towards to bright lights." Flying at night like this added to my tension. I don't think I exhaled until we landed. A year later, we all flew to from Vegas to see the Indianapolis 500. The day after the race, we boarded to fly home. No pre-flight check (as I later learned was SOP, especiall for a cross-country flight). We took off despite Don's son telling him something didn't look right on the instrument panel. Don just motioned to go. 20 minutes later, we lost power will banked completely sideways. The prop came to a dead stop; the silence sent shock waves through all of us, followed by cursing and frantic attempts to get the plane level. We missed concrete by a few feet and caromed off some wet grass with a horrifying crunch I can still here. We bounced across a runway, slid to a stop, on fire. I was the last out, leaping over the flames. Don's other son had an open container; he had actually cracked open a beer early in the morning. The FAA let that slide after a clever way of questioning us as a group. Don got a new plane and crashed again 2 years later from a mountain runway; he and his one passenger had more severe injuries. Needless to say, his insurance was done with him! I later flew with a more conscientious pilot who was meticulous about safety. Only then did I realize how reckless and careless Don was. I'm lucky to be alive.

[BlueBaron]

Again, as always, Paul's reasoning is as focused as it is flawless, with a proper dose of compassion at the end. Well done.

[cutway]

I watched out of curiosity. I’m not a pilot, and I don’t need to be one to know how much sense this man made. Drug issues aside, the tech points
by themselves were clear and understandable even for me.

[markhull]

This is the absolute best analysis concerning a crash I've ever seen. Makes me think of Dragnet's Joe Friday: "Just the Facts".

[sllabymeugnot]

"Fly like an old lady, Live to be an old man."

[avtor]

Thank you for your summary. Mr. pilot was jacking around and his last flight reminds me of two sayings. "There are old pilots and there are bold pilots but, there are few old bold pilots."
"There is safety in altitude and speed."

[christheother]

Death by boredom. If flying gets dull and the only thing that helps is buzzing the ground, get a new hobby.

[justinerdmann]

The best saying my CFI told me was "There are Old Pilots and there are Bold pilots but there are no Old Bold pilots" There is no substitution for training, proficiency and knowing your personal limits. Thank you, Paul, for keeping this so professional and respectful to the pilot.

[ronaldmarshall]

hmmm this gentlemen died from being careless and reckless due to his being bored and taking meds that proved to be deadly I'm glad that the manufacturer was not found to be at fault

[johngill]

Thank you for your final comment about the disease of addiction. It's a terrible thing, and when viewed in the wrong context, impossible to overcome. When in the right context, you can conquer! Thank You!

[Tencargo]

As a career military and airline pilot, I have to say this is one of the best accident presentation I have seen.