Watch CBS News

Crash That Killed Roy Halladay Puts Vacaville Plane Company In Spotlight

VACAVILLE (CBS13) —A tragic plane crash has left retired Major League Baseball star Roy Halladay dead, and a Vacaville airplane manufacturer facing scrutiny.

Halladay, a Cy Young Award winner, was killed when his ICON A5 airplane crashed into the Gulf of Mexico on Tuesday.

It's the second deadly ICON A5 plane crash this year.

Halladay appeared in an ICON aircraft advertisement receiving his brand new A5 model just weeks ago.

"I grew up around airplanes and always wanted to get my license but it didn't happen. I ended up playing baseball," Halladay said in the commercial.

Halladay's Twitter posts show him with his plane too.

Following the crash, ICON released a statement reading Halladay's death is devastating and the company "will do everything it can to support the accident investigation going forward and we will comment further when more information is available."

The ICON A5 is an amphibious plane, advertised to deliver a thrilling experience for pilots. There are only 23 registered with the FAA. And of that number, two have now been involved in deadly crashes.

The other crash killed two ICON employees during a flight over Lake Berryessa in May. The NTSB investigation found pilot error as the cause of that crash.

"For some reason, this plane has had more than its share of accidents," Sacramento's Executive Flyers President Steve Thompson said.

Thompson says ICON A5's sleek, easy-to-use, recreational design could be part of the problem, leading pilots to make unsafe decisions.

"When you see something like that, you tend to want to take it to its limits," Thompson said.

The NTSB is now investigating the crash.

Roy Halladay leaves behind a wife and two children.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.