[kcrazorbackfan]

Former star MLB pitcher killed in a plane crash in the gulf west of St. Petersburg.

[John_W]

Roy Halladay flying his new 2018 Icon A5 airplane.



Roy Halladay standing next to his new plane.



Roy Halladay, a two-time Cy Young Award-winning pitcher who retired from baseball nearly four years ago, has died in a plane crash in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Florida. He was 40 years old.

Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco said during a news conference that Halladay's ICON A5, a small single-engine aircraft, went down around noon Tuesday off the coast of Florida.

The sheriff's office marine unit responded and found Halladay's body in shallow water near some mangroves. No survivors were found. Police said they couldn't confirm if there were additional passengers on the plane or say where it was headed.

Nocco also said the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is investigating the crash.

Halladay received his pilot's license several years ago and tweeted photos last month of himself standing next to a new Icon A5 as part of the plane's marketing campaign. In a story posted last month on Icon's web site to promote the A5, Halladay said he had "been dreaming about flying since I was a boy but was only able to become a pilot once I retired from baseball."

In a video posted on ICON's web site, Halladay said the terms of his baseball contract prevented him from having a pilot's license while playing, and that his wife was originally against the idea of him getting the aircraft.

The A5 was a newer model from ICON, based in Vacaville, California. On May 8, two ICON employees, the company's lead test pilot and the director of engineering, were killed in a crash in an A5 in Napa County, California. The NTSB report said the probable cause was "the pilot's failure to maintain clearance from terrain while maneuvering at a low altitude."

"We were devastated to learn that former MLB pitcher Roy Halladay died today in an accident involving an ICON A5 in the Gulf of Mexico," the company said in a statement. "We have gotten to know Roy and his family in recent months, and he was a great advocate and friend of ours. The entire ICON community would like to pass on our deepest condolences to Roy's family and friends. ICON will do everything it can to support the accident investigation going forward and we will comment further when more information is available."

Nocco said Tuesday that Halladay was a "personal friend of our sheriff's office" and that it is a "sad day for us here in Pasco County."

"Being a pilot, flying planes, that was his passion," Nocco said. "He would talk about it, about refurbishing planes."

Halladay was an eight-time All-Star and went 203-105 with a 3.38 ERA in his 16-year career with the Toronto Blue Jays and Philadelphia Phillies. He threw a perfect game with the Phillies during the 2010 season and a no-hitter that postseason.

"We are numb over the very tragic news about Roy Halladay's untimely death," the Phillies said in a statement. "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. It is with the heaviest of hearts that we pass along our condolences to Brandy, Ryan and Braden."

Halladay signed a one-day contract with Toronto in December 2013 so he could retire as a member of the Blue Jays, the team with which he spent the first 12 years of his career.

"The Toronto Blue Jays organization is overcome by grief with the tragic loss of one of the franchise's greatest and most respected players, but even better human being," the team said in a statement. "It is impossible to express what he has meant to this franchise, the city and its fans. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends."

Halladay won the 2003 AL Cy Young Award and went 148-76 with a 3.43 ERA in 12 seasons with the Blue Jays. He was traded to the Phillies after the 2009 season and won the NL Cy Young in 2010.

Several of Halladay's former teammates and opponents tweeted their condolences after learning about his death.

Roy Halladay, 40, dies in plane crash in Gulf of Mexico

[manaboutown]

I heard this while in college before my first flight in a private plane while we awaited the weather to clear before we took off. I remained mindful of it when I was learning to fly and since. Roy Halladay Just Died In A Plane Crash Confirming A Decades Old Saying - World War Wings

[Jayhawk]

He was taking too many chances.

Witnesses say Roy Halladay’s plane was flying low, diving before crashing – HardballTalk

[ColdNoMore]

Originally Posted by Jayhawk

He was taking too many chances.

Witnesses say Roy Halladay’s plane was flying low, diving before crashing – HardballTalk

Yep.

It's hard to feel sorry for someone who was so selfish as to chase his need for an adrenaline rush...over being there for his family.

My empathy is reserved for his wife and two young children.