Florida

Former Phillies Pitcher Roy Halladay Had Traces of Morphine, Amphetamine in System When His Plane Crashed

Halladay died in November when his two-seater amphibious plane nose-dived into shallow water off New Port Richey, Florida

All-star Phillies pitcher Roy Halladay had traces of morphine and other drugs in his system when his experimental plane crashed into the Gulf of Mexico in November, toxicology results showed.

The Pasco County, Florida coroner said Friday that test results found traces of three drugs in his blood at the time of the 40-year-old's death. Morphine, amphetamine, and a generic form of Ambien, a drug used to treat insomnia, were detected.

Halladay died in November when his two-seater ICON A5 amphibious plane nose-dived into shallow water off New Port Richey, Florida, which is near Tampa. The plane flipped over after hitting the water.

Witnesses told authorities the plane was climbing, diving, and flying close to the water surface shortly before impact.

Halladay died on impact. The coroner ruled the cause of death as blunt trauma.

Halladay, known as "Doc," pitched four seasons with the Phillies before retiring after injuries cut short his 2013 season. He won the 2010 National League Cy Young Award and pitched a perfect game while winning 21 games in his first season with the Phillies. He went on to pitch a no-hitter against the Cincinnati Reds in the 2010 divisional series.

He started his career with the Toronto Blue Jays, winning the 2003 American League Cy Young Award, before he was traded to the Phillies ahead of the 2010 season.

Halladay picked up flying after retiring from Major League Baseball. He had about 700 hours of flight time after getting his license in 2013. He started flying the aircraft, which has wings that can be folded and a body that can float, a month before the crash.

Contact Us