Roy Halladay plane crash: Eyewitness video shows him flying erratically

Mike Oz

A day after a plane crash took the life of ex-MLB star pitcher Roy Halladay, witnesses have come forward to say they saw the accident and Halladay was flying erratically.

Video obtained by TMZ Sports shows Halladay, 40, making big changes in altitude as he flew around the Gulf of Mexico — not far from his home in Tarpon Springs, Florida. He’d fly up to 100 feet in the air, according to TMZ, then down to a few feet above the water. TMZ termed it “showboating.”

The video portrays witnesses, who are watching from a boat, as surprised by Halladay’s flying pattern to the point that they’re saying “What the [expletive]?” as they watch. As Halladay’s plane flew up and down, one of the men in the videos said, “That can’t be legal.”

Here’s the video, which you should be warned, contains NSFW language:

Here’s more on the scene from TMZ:

TMZ Sports has obtained footage shot by boaters who say the ex-MLB star’s plane was going from 100 feet in the air down to 5 feet and then back up again … repeatedly.

The boaters were so shocked by the flying pattern, they pulled out their cell phones to capture the bizarre dips and rises. Moments later, the plane crashed into the Gulf of Mexico — and the boat full of witnesses raced over to the crash scene to see if they could help. Once they arrived, it was clear the pilot was dead.

When authorities responded to the crash, they said Halladay was dead on site. There was no mayday call, according to the local sheriff’s office. An investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board is pending.

Halladay won two Cy Young awards during his 16-year MLB career with the Philadelphia Phillies and Toronto Blue Jays. He retired in 2013 and got his pilot’s license in 2014, fulfilling a life-long dream after growing up the son of a pilot. Halladay is survived by his wife and two sons. The plane he was flying is an ICON A5, of which Halladay received the first model last month. It’s been described as “a Jet Ski with wings.”

Roy Halladay, seen here in 2014, when he was honored by the Phillies. (AP)
Roy Halladay, seen here in 2014, when he was honored by the Phillies. (AP)

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Mike Oz is the editor of Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at mikeozstew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

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• 5 moments that made us love Roy Halladay