MLB Star Dies In Horrific Accident

I fly a lot, so I’ve gotten over any sort of flight anxiety.

Totally different story when it comes to small planes though… those make me super nervous.

Retired MLB star Roy Halladay has died after crashing his ICON A5 into the Gulf of Mexico.

According to TMZ:

Retired baseball superstar Roy Halladay died in a fatal plane crash Tuesday in the Gulf of Mexico.

The Pasco County Sheriff’s Dept. in Florida is holding a news conference to reveal details of the crash. They confirm Roy was the only person aboard the ICON A5 light-sport aircraft when it went down 10 miles west of St. Petersburg.

The Sheriff’s Dept. says Roy did not make a mayday call before he went down, and they’ve already recovered his body.

40-year-old Halladay proudly purchased an ICON A5 just last month … the first one of the production line. He posted a video in which his wife expressed concern about the aircraft, but also said she felt more comfortable after flying in it.

Roy was an 8-time All-Star pitcher for the Phillies and the Blue Jays, and a two-time Cy Young Award winner. He’s one of only 2 players in MLB history to throw a no-hitter in the playoffs. He also pitched a perfect game for the Phillies in 2010.

The Phillies issued a statement — “We are numb over the very tragic news about Roy’s untimely death. There are no words to describe the sadness that the entire Phillies family is feeling over the loss of one of the most respected human beings to ever play the game.”

He’s expected to be a first ballot Hall of Famer when he becomes eligible in 2019.

Here’s the video they mention:

He did it as a promotional thing for the ICON Aircraft company. The caption reads:

Roy Halladay has been passionate about flying his entire life. As a Major League Baseball player however, he was contractually prevented from getting his pilot’s license. When he retired in 2013, he finally fulfilled his lifelong dream, and in October of 2017, he became the owner of a particularly significant ICON A5. Roy’s aircraft, serial number 22, is the first model year 2018 A5, the first Founders Edition aircraft, and the first A5 whose airframe was built in-house at ICON’s new composites manufacturing facility in Baja California. Watch the highlights from his visit together with wife Brandy to ICON’s headquarters in Vacaville to see their new A5.

Ugh… this is terribly sad.

My heart is absolutely broken for his wife.