[Honeykiss1974]

July 17, 2002


Pilot on Cocaine in Aaliyah Crash


JO CAVALLO


An autopsy performed on Luis Antonio Morales Blanes, the pilot of the Cessna that crashed in the Bahamas last August carrying R&B singer Aaliyah, found traces of cocaine and alcohol in his body, reports the Associated Press. (Blanes, 30, was sentenced to three years' probation on charges of crack cocaine possession just 12 days before the accident.) The pilot, Aaliyah, 22, and seven members of her entourage were all killed when the plane crashed shortly after taking off from the airport. Authorities are investigating how the substances in his system could potentially have contributed to the crash. The Bahamas Department of Civil Aviation noted that the aircraft may not have undergone fuel-pump wiring modifications required in 1988 and that unidentified particles and corrosion found in the fuel filters were "indications that routine maintenance was not being performed," according to a statement released by the agency, the AP reports. An examination of the plane's engine, airframe, propeller, and fuel system, however, showed no cause for malfunction. The twin-engine plane, certified to carry only eight people including the pilot, was also 700 pounds overweight, investigators reportedly said. Aaliyah, a two-time Grammy nominee for best female R&B vocalist, was in the Bahamas to film her music video "Rock the Boat," which was released posthumously