Aaliyah's untimely death followed after pilot was 'unauthorized' to fly plane

Publish date: 2024-08-02

Singer Aaliyah passed away more than two decades ago yet fans continue to honor the R&B princess as they mourn how her tragic death unfolded.

Aaliyah is credited for shaping a significant R&B era despite performing for just one decade in the music industry. The beloved singer’s untimely death left fans devastated on August 25, 2001, as she passed away at the young age of 22. She was living the pop star dream at the peak of her career before it was swiftly snatched away after an unscheduled flight.

Aaliyah’s ill-fated flight left singer with ‘severe burns’

At age 22, Aaliyah was three albums into her glittering career when she died in a plane crash on August 25, 2001. The flight was leaving the Bahamas’ Abaco Islands, the location of the music video shoot for Rock The Boat.

Filming ended unexpectedly early, so the singer and her team her eager to return to the US as soon as possible. Nine passengers – including Aaliyah – boarded a Cessna 402 plane at 6:50 pm at Marsh Harbour Airport. The aircraft was smaller than the Cessna 404 they arrived in, but the 402 was large enough to accommodate all staff and equipment.

The plane crashed and burst into flames moments after takeoff, killing the singer and eight others: pilot Luis Morales III, makeup artist Christopher Maldonado, hairstylist Eric Forman, security guard Scott Gallon, friend Keith Wallace, Anthony Dodd, Blackground Records employees Douglas Kratz and Gina Smith.

An Abaco Air Ltd employee who worked at Marsh Harbour Airport told CNN baggage handlers and the pilot reported the plane as overloaded. However, the passengers “insisted on taking everything with them.” Investigators believe the aircraft was 700lbs overloaded.

Pathologist Giovander Raju, who performed autopsies on Aaliyah and the eight other victims, confirmed the actress died of severe burns and a blow to the head. He later claimed at the 2003 coroner’s inquest the 22-year-old “suffered generally from a weak heart.”

The Federal Aviation Administration said Pilot Morales was not authorized to fly the plane. The aircraft was operated by Blackhawk Airways International, who had authorized extremely limited use of Cessna 402. The authorized person was not flying the plane at the time of the incident. Questions about the pilot arose after it was discovered he faced a drug charge 12 days before the crash, reports The New York Times.

Aaliyah’s marriage to R Kelly was under wraps for years

Aside from her musical talent, the Romeo Must Die actress’ love life was consistently in the tabloid news, specifically her close relationship with mentor R Kelly. Industry whispers suspected the pair, who had a 12-year age difference, had a physical relationship but they both continuously denied rumors.

It was later revealed that then-15-year-old Aaliyah entered an illegal marriage with Kelly in August 1994, when he was 27. The marriage license falsified her age as 18. Her parents reportedly annulled the marriage in February 1995.

In the Lifetime docuseries, Surviving R Kelly, the rapper’s friend and former security, Gem Pratt, alleged Aaliyah’s family agreed to sign an NDA. They supposedly promised to not press charges if Kelly sold the family the rights to his first three albums.

For the next six years, the celebrity distanced herself from her former mentor and embraced a new sound with Timbaland. But she was never able to rid herself of the infamous union.

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Aaliyah's untimely death followed after pilot was 'unauthorized' to fly plane

Aaliyah’s ill-fated flight left singer with ‘severe burns’

Aaliyah’s marriage to R Kelly was under wraps for years