Former MLB pitcher and two-time Cy Young winner Roy Halladay died Tuesday in a plane crash in the Gulf of Mexico. He was 40.
Halladay, a licensed pilot, was flying his 2018 model Icon A5 at low altitude when he crashed into shallow waters just off the coast of Tampa. The Icon A5 is a lightweight, amphibious plane that maneuvers like a Jet Ski. The recreational aircraft has been described as a “sports car with wings.”
I have dreamed about owning a A5 since I retired! Real life is better then my dreams!! Thx Kirk & everyone @ICONAircraft pic.twitter.com/wkk6TtjAY4
— Roy Halladay (@RoyHalladay) October 13, 2017
Video from nearby boaters posted by TMZ showed Halladay making a sharp turn and flying very close to the water moments before the plane wrecked.
The cause of the crash is unknown and under investigation. It could take one to two years before a determination is made, according to an NTSB official.
None of these details seemed to matter to Boston radio host Michael Felger, who said Halladay is “a moron” and an “idiot” and “got what he deserved.”
Felger, the co-host of 98.5 The Sports Hub’s “Felger and Massarotti,” went on a merciless, mocking rant Wednesday about Halladay’s choices in life.
Here’s an excerpt from his 12-minute tirade:
Weee! Weee! Yeah, man, look at the G-force on this! I’m Maverick. Yeah, man, look at this, it’s so cool. And you die. Splat. And it’s over. So, you’re that guy? You have to do that? … Weee! You can put your hand out the window. Oh, look, I just landed on the water, everybody. I’m gonna tweet it! Splat. You’re dead. Two kids. Moron.
When contacted Wednesday night by the Boston Herald about the backlash over his callous comments, Felger said: “NBC Boston doesn’t want me to talk about it tonight. My boss doesn’t want me to say anything about this tonight. Again, my boss doesn’t want me to say anything.”
Now this is FLYING!! Love this airplane!! The Icon A5!! If you fly or ever dreamed of flying this is your airplane!! pic.twitter.com/KVq8aSkpRE
— Roy Halladay (@RoyHalladay) May 18, 2016
Halladay, whose father was a commercial pilot, is survived by a wife and two sons. Halladay’s Twitter profile reads: “Courage is not being fearless but rather acting in spite of the existence of fear!”
The accident involving Halladay was the third one for the A5 model since April. The plane’s head designer died in a California crash along with an engineer in May.
