Roy Halladay, MLB Great, Killed In Florida Plane Crash

NEW PORT RICHEY, FL — Roy Halladay, the former MLB pitcher, was killed Tuesday when his small plane crashed into the ocean near New Port Richey, Florida, Pasco County Sheriff's Office said.

The sheriff's deputies said the aircraft went down in the Gulf of Mexico north of Holiday. They received the report shortly after noon on Tuesday.

"We are devastated to learn of the passing of Roy 'Doc' Halladay, who left us far too soon," the Major League Baseball Players Alumni Association said of the former Toronto and Philadelphia player on Twitter. "Rest in peace Roy, you will be sorely missed."

Officials held a press conference on the crash to announce that Halladay had been killed. An official said Halladay was a personal friend of the department. He donated a service dog, K9 Doc, to the department three years ago.

"Roy was the most down to earth person," said Sheriff Chris Nocco at the press conference. "The worst case scenario happened and it breaks our hearts."

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In a statement, the office wrote: "We were blessed to have known him and consider him to be a member of our family. We are grateful for his love and support."

Halladay, who was 40, was alone in the plane when it crashed, officials said. He had been flying his Icon A5 when he was killed. The two-person, single-engine plane crashed into the ocean about a quarter mile from Ben Pilot Point.

Though he always loved the skies, Halladay didn't become a pilot until after he retired from baseball.

"I've dreamed about flying since I was a boy," he told Seaplane Magazine. In an interview published last month, he said the Icon A5 was "safest and easiest" plane he's ever flown, adding that it was also the most fun. He said that his wife, who was previously afraid of a small planes, loved A5.

"I was very against it," Brandy Halladay says of her husband's desire to be a pilot in a video made by the manufacturer of the plane, which has since been taken down.

When the manufacturer was reached by phone for a comment, a spokeswoman said they are still "gathering information." The company had no additional comment.

This is not the first fatal accident involving an Icon A5. Two of the company's employees, John Karkow and Cagri Sever, were killed while riding in the plane in May. After the National Transportation Safety Board reviewed the accident, it concluded that pilot error was to blame.

The NTSB is in the early stages of its investigation, Chief of Media Relations Christopher O'Neil told Patch in an email. Aviation crash investigations usually take a year to two years to complete, he said.

"Our focus at this time is on this accident and understanding the circumstances surrounding it," said O'Neil.

Halladay won two Cy Young Awards, once in the American League in 2003 with the Toronto Blue Jays and once in the National League in 2010 with the Philadelphia Phillies. Halladay will be eligible for the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2019.

“We are numb over the very tragic news about Roy Halladay’s untimely death,” the Philadelphia 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.”

In his first career postseason start on Oct 6., 2010, Halladay threw a no-hitter against the Cincinnati Reds in Game 1 of the National League Division Series. It was just the second postseason no-hitter in MLB history, and the first since 1956. Halladay became the only pitcher to throw a postseason and regular season no-hitter in the same year.

"Heart is broken to hear about Roy Halladay," Roy Oswalt, who played with Halladay, said on Twitter. "One of the best teammates ever!"

The former pitcher is survived by his wife, Brandy Halladay, and their two children.

The cause of the crash is still under investigation. Response teams continued to recover debris from the plane into the night. The Swift Water Response Team and the Marine Unit will protect the site of the crash during the investigation, the sheriff's office said.

The National Transportation Safety Board has taken over the official investigation.

Officials said Halladay made no Mayday or emergency calls to Tampa Air Traffic Control.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Pasco Fire Rescue, and the Coast guard assisted the sheriff's office in its response efforts.

"We are working with other agencies to ensure the safety and privacy of the family," the sheriff's office said in a statement. "Like everyone else they have questions and deserve to hear the answers first."

Officials posted photos on Twitter in memory of Halladay:

Watch: Former MLB pitcher Roy Halladay killed in small plane crash

Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images