Drugs and alcohol in body of Aaliyah crash pilot

THE pilot of the light aircraft that crashed in the Bahamas last year, killing 22-year-old American singer and actress Aaliyah, himself and seven others, had traces of cocaine and alcohol in his body, aviation officials said.

An autopsy performed on Luis Antonio Morales Blanes’ body revealed cocaine in his urine and traces of alcohol in his stomach, the Bahamas Department of Civil Aviation said in a statement on the results of an inquiry into the wreckage.

Authorities are investigating how the substances might have affected the pilot at the time of the crash last August. Morales, 30, was sentenced to three years’ probation for possessing crack cocaine 12 days before the crash.

Aaliyah, who was already a two-time Grammy nominee for best female R&B vocalist, was leaving the Bahamas following a video shoot when the Cessna 402-B crashed during take-off. All nine people aboard died.

The autopsy information on Morales was released for the first time yesterday, along with results from inspections on the plane’s wreckage.

The report said the plane may not have undergone fuel-pump wiring modifications required in August 1988. Unidentified particles and corrosion found in the fuel filters were “indications that routine maintenance was not being performed”, the statement said.

The investigative committee has not yet been able to talk to the plane’s owner, or inspect the engine or aircraft log books, which would show maintenance.

The twin-engined plane was also at least 700lbs overweight, investigators have said. Although nine people were on board, the plane was certified to carry only up to eight, including the pilot.

Inspection of the plane’s engine, airframe, propeller and fuel system, however, has shown no cause for malfunction, authorities said.

In May, the parents of Aaliyah filed a lawsuit against Virgin Records, alleging that negligence and recklessness caused the plane crash.

The lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on behalf of Diane and Michael Haughton, also named several video production companies and Blackhawk International Airways, the company that operated the plane.

Neither Blackhawk nor Skystream, the plane’s registered owner, had a permit to operate commercial charter flights in the Bahamas, investigators said.