New Evidence On Aaliyah's Plane Crash

18 July 2002

Authorities are investigating how cocaine and alcohol may have affected the pilot of a small plane that crashed in the Bahamas last August, killing 22-year-old singer/actress Aaliyah and eight others.

Aviation officials said yesterday (July 16) that an autopsy performed on Luis Antonio Morales Blanes showed he had cocaine in his urine and traces of alcohol in his stomach. The autopsy findings were released for the first time along with the crash investigation report.

The twin-engine plane was also overloaded by at least 700 pounds, investigators have said.