Roy Halladay Had Morphine In System At Time Of Fatal Plane Crash

NEW PORT RICHEY, FL - Former Major League pitcher Roy Halladay had evidence of morphine and amphetamine in his system at the time of his fatal plane crash, according to an autopsy report. The autopsy lists the cause of Halladay’s death as blunt force trauma and drowning as a contributing factor.

The autopsy released by the Pinellas-Pasco Medical Examiner’s Office on Friday also showed Halladay had Ambien, a drug used to treat insomnia, in his system at the time of the crash. Halladay's blood alcohol content was .01, according to the report.

The autopsy also listed blunt chest trauma with multiple rib fractures and lung injuries. He also had a right leg fracture and blunt abdominal trauma with liver and spleen injuries. The manner of death was listed as "accident."

To read the autopsy report, click here.

On Nov. 7, Halladay, 40, was flying his Icon A5 Series aircraft over the Gulf of Mexico when the plane crashed in the water near New Port Richey. The two-person, single-engine plane crashed into the ocean about a quarter mile from Ben Pilot Point.

Halladay, who lived in Odessa in Pasco County, was alone in the plane at the time of the crash.

Investigators for the National Transportation Safety Board say Halladay performed steep turns and flew 10 feet above the water prior to crashing his plane. According to a preliminary NTSB report, the plane's parachute failed to deploy before the Icon A5 plunged into the ocean.

A witness to the accident told NTSB he saw the airplane perform a climb to between 300 and 500 feet on a southerly heading before turning and descending on an easterly heading at about a 45 degree nose-down altitude. He then saw the airplane impact the water.

Video footage taken of the airplane before the accident shows it in a descending left 45-degree banked turn and then maneuvering about 10 feet above the water, the report said. The NTSB preliminary report did not determine a cause for the crash.

Halladay won two Cy Young Awards, once in the American League in 2003 with the Toronto Blue Jays and once in the National League in 2010 with the Philadelphia Phillies. Halladay will be eligible for the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2019.

Image via Associated Press