Halladay performed low, fast maneuvers before fatal crash: NTSB

In the moments before the crash off the coast of Florida that killed Roy Halladay, his small aircraft performed low, fast maneuvers, flying as close as 75 feet to houses on the shore, said a preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board.

Halladay, 40, a retired Major League Baseball star pitcher, was piloting the plane and was the only person on board at the time of the crash, near Tampa on Nov. 7.

GPS data indicate that at one point, the amphibious plane skimmed over a beach at 105 miles per hour at an altitude of 11 feet, according to the NTSB.

Before the crash, a witness told investigators, Halladay's plane climbed 300 to 500 feet, turned and descended at 45 degrees. The plane hit the water and turned over, the NTSB said.

The airplane came to rest in shallow water, upside down, with its front highly fragmented, the report said. A parachute system was found but had not been deployed.

The NTSB report said Halladay got the airplane on Oct. 10, 2017, and logged 14.5 flight hours in it.

Weather conditions were calm, warm and clear, according to the report.

Preliminary reports from the NTSB do not assign blame or conclude what caused crashes and are written to release basic facts about them.