Leading up to the year 2001, the world’s heart was stolen by a bright star in both the music and film industry. At 22 years of age, Aaliyah Dana Haughton.
was not only an actress who starred alongside the legend Jet Li and DMX in the film Romeo Must Die.
But she also earned the name, The Queen of Urban Pop for her mesmerizing vocals, trendy style, and versatile talent.
She was already earning awards and breaking records as a female in the industry and was on her way to surely continue dominating with her talent, but her life would begin on the path to a fatal decline as the year progressed. The events were set in motion the moment she decided to shoot a music video for her hit single, “Rock The Boat.” Around August 21st 2001, she would make an appearance on BET’s 106 & Park.
where she was asked about what music video will be released next and her response excited eager fans https://youtu.be/ub2LJd62uvk?si=ejmfitnltsnqSvj_ (2:33-2:45).
Filming for the visuals would begin on August 22nd 2001 with fans excitedly awaiting to see the finished product. With video director Hype Williams on the helm,
filming began in Miami where everything appeared fine https://youtu.be/nhEH2WBX-bI?si=jt2Ydc304FEwzv4e (0:42-1:36) The green screen set up along with cameras and visual effects professionals had all the tools to create the envisioned ocean scenes for the video https://youtu.be/nhEH2WBX-bI?si=aXoX8irXkDUjML0c (4:36-5:20).
However, on August 24th as filming continued, the decision was adjusted to film on a beach in the Caribbean island of the Bahamas https://youtu.be/nhEH2WBX-bI?si=on1LDZG7kZuBDsy9 (9:40-10:16).
The itinerary for the music video was not an easy list to complete. There were numerous scenes inclusive of choreography to perform, so understandably it was exhausting for the star of the show, Aaliyah. Still on August 25th 2001, the final day of filming, Aaliyah along with the filming crew and dancers showed up and showed out as she performed like the perfectionist she was.
before wrapping up and getting on a boat to depart the location https://youtu.be/nhEH2WBX-bI?si=unImxYiX5bKeu_gR (14:31-15:20).
Close friend and video choreographer Fatima Robinson,
recalled at the end of the video shoot, Aaliyah was exhausted and ready to be on her way back to the states. The shoot wasn’t supposed to be over until the following day, but having captured everything they needed ahead of time, her trip back was pushed forward that same August 25th https://youtu.be/ZI6qieEAQvM?si=fZbFB02zG0CLfHoI (0:56-1:13).
Her boyfriend and renowned music figure at the time, Damon “Dame” Dash https://youtu.be/Jb-kc7-prNo?si=DOt1aDMijYS_jvNw (0:04-0:17).
was going to meet with Aailyah in Miami to spend time together while she was also scheduled to meet up with rapper Freeway and Beanie Sigel.
to collaborate on the remix of their song “Roc Da Mic” https://youtu.be/MNeHoRSlvrI?si=L6VOKwpLKENH1ZRc https://youtu.be/UmOHeHpEFq4?si=OJNR0nciUu8WbkFz (3:05-3:18).
With the music video finished ahead of time, everything was falling right into place, but something would fall out of place, ending Aaliyah’s life before her arrival to Miami https://youtu.be/P5XA9bIyzqM?si=3_YX-Pt_g2hwuQC8 (13:10-13:30) https://youtu.be/oHOmIHnXezY?si=ncAoje8-3QVDcLLW (0:21-0:32).
Aaliyah would get onto a boat with a couple of members from her crew and off they went https://youtu.be/ZI6qieEAQvM?si=b8bqIjEoSWRGyRn7 (1:25-1:40) Fatima Robinson would take one photo before they left, unknowingly to her, that would be the last time she would ever see them again https://youtu.be/ZI6qieEAQvM?si=b8bqIjEoSWRGyRn7 (1:41-2:07).
Aaliyah and her entourage would arrive at the Leonard M. Thompson International Airport, formerly known as the Marsh Harbour Airport in the Abaco Islands of The Bahamas.
That’s when her instincts began to kick in, probably trying to save her from what was about to happen. Aaliyah would message her boyfriend Dame informing him she wasn’t comfortable flying on the plane that was chartered as it was the smaller model Cessna 402.
as compated to the aircraft which brought them a safe arrival to the Bahamas https://youtu.be/UmOHeHpEFq4?si=u7uGPhttM5niYJvN (3:54-4:06) Luckily, there was an alleged alternate plane that could have made the flight. According to later information, celebrity musician Lenny Kravitz.
Would offer Aaliyah his jet for the trip, but it was allegedly taken by Hype Williams, leaving Aaliyah to battle with her fears of traveling on the Cessna 402B https://youtu.be/UmOHeHpEFq4?si=B1jAQ5loifOnnEGO (4:15-4:25).
At this point, Aaliyah made her feelings about the plane known, questioning the capacity of the plane to house both the crew along with luggage and camera equipment. This sentiment was supported by the pilot of the plane Luis Morales.
who explained that the plane would be overweight given the collective weight of everyone and everything to be placed on board.
https://nypost.com/2021/08/02/aaliyah-took-sleeping-pill-carried-to-plane-before-crash-book
At this juncture, it was the crucial deciding moment on whether Aaliyah and everyone boarding that plane would live…or die.
Aaliyah not letting her feelings about flying on the plane be quelled, allegedly decided to return to the back of the taxi van complaining of a headache and fell asleep while her team was left to deal with the flight issue. That was the initial statements detailed in the report after her tragic passing, but in time, new details would add suspicion to the events that took place.
https://nypost.com/2021/08/02/aaliyah-took-sleeping-pill-carried-to-plane-before-crash-book
These details would be expressed by a then 13-year-old eye witness in the written biography “Baby Girl: Better Known As Aaliyah”
by journalist and author, Kathy Iandoli.
In the book and in a since deleted video of his recollection of what happened to Aaliyah, the boy by the name of Kingsley Russell whose family ran a taxi and hospitality business in the area, stated that Aaliyah was against going onto the plane and what was even more shocking, was that he claimed Aaliyah was given a pill by her team to sedate her and she was carried unto the plane involuntarily as she was still unconscious.
Ultimately, the decision would be on the pilot to call off the flight. He was also in support of not flying according to reports because he knew the plane wasn’t built to hold that level of capacity, but for some reason, Aaliyah along with her entourage and the pilot took to the skies.
That decision by the pilot to continue with the flight even due to the overweight concerns was the wrong one. Shortly after taking off the runway, the plane elevated to a height between 60-100 ft before the consequences became painstakingly apparent and the plane plummeted to the ground https://youtu.be/P5mMe2lqohg?si=MZj_2PTp9dmgtAeg crashing in a fiery blaze https://youtu.be/HGezQbtodcU?si=AICVLd6o2XmHbVgl (0:14-0:39).
https://www.dailystar.co.uk/showbiz/inside-aaliyahs-tragic-plane-crash-24802368
Claude Sawyer, a 26-year-old charter pilot operating machinery close to the site described seeing the plane go up and then tilted to the left and nosed in. He recalls the gruesome nature of the crash, calling it the worst he’s ever seen. The plane was in pieces with some seats ejected from the aircraft.
https://www.dailystar.co.uk/showbiz/inside-aaliyahs-tragic-plane-crash-24802368
The scene was littered with the aftermath of the devastating crash. The plane was a mangled mess.
The question burning on the minds of onlookers was, were there any survivors? Would a miracle save the young superstar from the tragedy that just struck? Rushing over to the scene, persons like first responder Errol Thurston.
would inform reporters when he made it to the scene of the crash there were originally 3 persons still alive, unfortunately, Aaliyah was not one of them. Her bodyguard Scott Gallin would be the only one out of the 3 survivors that were reportedly conscious https://youtu.be/tPcK3ypQV2I?si=AgNepGIA4Gr-nUJs (8:07-8:21).
Unfortunately Scott Gallin passed away on the way to the hospital, but before he succumbed to his injuries, he was able to inform paramedics what happened from his perspective, stating that after takeoff, the plane slid a little to the right and the pilot tried to recover it by turning to the left, but as he turned to the left, the plane just ditched and fell completely out of the sky.
Scott was remembered as a gentle caring giant by friends and loved ones, and the driver of the ambulance recalled Scott’s main concern while on the way to the hospital, was the well-being of his client, Aaliyah.
The two other crew members that were alive after the crash also succumbed to their injuries, totalling to all 9 passengers losing their lives in the tragic accident. It was a chilling scene, just plane debris and body bags as the deceased were removed from the crash site.
After the horror incident, an investigation into the crash was launched as well as an official inquest into Aaliyah’s death which took place in the Bahamas. It is reported that pathologist Dr. Giovander Raju, who carried out the inquest, concluded that the singer died from severe burns, a blow to the head, and severe shock.
Dr. Raju also confirmed that the star was vulnerable as she had a weak heart, and concluded, “She went into such a state of shock, even if she had survived the crash, recovery would have been near impossible.”
https://www.dailystar.co.uk/showbiz/inside-aaliyahs-tragic-plane-crash-24802368
News articles flooded the printeries, informing the public of the grim news.
It was a time of mourning, but that grief would soon have mixed emotions with anger along with questions on if this was a result of mechanical error or human negligence. Soon, that question began having answers when an article printed that the pilot’s warning was ignored.
This information was further compounded with shocking details that showed the plane crash could have been avoided if only proper procedure was followed. Still, while many stated the pilot issued warnings to the crew over the overloaded capacity of the aircraft, it turns out, his accreditation to fly on that day was even more damning.
Investigations revealed details of his background that showed, the moment he was assigned as the pilot, Aaliyah and her crew was doomed. A report would indicate that Morales flew the plane that day while possibly under the influence. According to pathologist Dr. Giovander Raju, pilot Luis Antonio Morales had cocaine in his urine and traces of alcohol in his stomach at the time of the crash.
This brought wide speculation as to if that impaired the pilot’s judgement in deciding to fly over 700 pounds exceeding its capacity leading to the plane’s crash. It seems everyone from the taxi drivers chauffeuring Aaliyah around The Bahamas, to a customs official all had the same concerns about the overweight flight, yet pilot Morales gave in and took off nonetheless.
These findings opened up a slew of more shocking details. According to reports, just 12 days before the plane crash, Morales was before a judge in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. A then 30-year-old Luis Antonio Morales, was accused of three felonies: stealing a tool box and a toy airplane, trying to sell $345 worth of stolen aircraft parts, and possession of cocaine.
https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2001-sep-09-me-43900-story.html
Since they were his first offenses, Broward County Circuit Judge Royce Agner opted for leniency, handing down a sentence of three years’ probation.
https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2001-sep-09-me-43900-story.html
The charter company Blackhawk International Airways directly came into question, as it was also found that Morales became a pilot at the charter mere days before the fatal plane crash. Not only that, but they violated FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) rules because the FAA requires a list of certified pilots to be used for each charter aircraft, and Morales was not on the list provided by Blackhawk International Airways, which operated the flight boarded by Aaliyah and her entourage.
Following a scathing report by the FAA, it was alleged that the pilot was not approved to fly the aircraft, stating that Morales had falsely obtained his FAA license by showing hundreds of hours that he’d never flown.
https://www.dailystar.co.uk/showbiz/inside-aaliyahs-tragic-plane-crash-24802368
Further, lead investigator Randy Butler of the Civil Aviation Department stated that neither Blackhawk nor Skystream, the plane’s registered owner, had a permit to operate commercial charter flights in the Bahamas.
https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/expert-aaliyah-plane-was-overloaded-78504
Reports went on to state that a check of FAA data shows that Blackhawk had numerous breaches in regulation and aviation compliance. From failure to meet FAA maintenance requirements, to fines for failing to comply with the flight and maneuvering regulations of a foreign country, to failure to test some employees for drug use, to their heightened accident rate surpassing even large commercial air carriers, their history held questionable patterns.
https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2001-sep-09-me-43900-story.html
Aaliyah’s family would launch a lawsuit against Blackhawk International Airways Corp., Skystream Inc. and Gilbert Chacon along with flight broker Atlantic Flight Group, and in 2003 would settled for an undisclosed amount.
https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/aaliyahs-parents-settle-plane-crash-suit-69189
To this day, speculations still linger about Aaliyah’s death not being an accident, but planned given the allegations of her being sedated when carried on the plane https://youtu.be/sD9BNe0L2NA?si=QzxKogpZkvzan5uY (12:51-13:03) https://youtu.be/9NFFe3bZn6k?si=RRzWyX9656PwGONR (0:00-0:58) Fingers were pointed to her entourage, her boyfriend Damon Dash, Jay Z, and even her own family, especially her uncle Barry Hankerson who founded Blackground Records to which Aaliyah was signed.
An associate by the name of OG Piru Ayatollah Marv.
would do an interview revealing that when Aaliyah died, her uncle received a 90 million dollar payout, which only increased suspicions about the conspiracies about his involvement in her passing https://youtu.be/A79WJDkWMCI?si=67D5PGNCqMdGum6J (6:45-7:38).
Aaliyah was something special. The loss of her life forever lingers on the hearts of those who knew her, and those who came to know her through her music. Rest in peace Aaliyah.
https://youtu.be/WlOYYd5T-CE?si=byiorSTGuHvbB_UD (19:25-19:55)
https://youtu.be/UxiAmMDjy-M?si=Z8JsnHB3YYFtiVz_ (0:00-0:33)
https://youtu.be/tPcK3ypQV2I?si=wlAqOJqu7Ah55k5S (6:48-6:59)
Chad is a professional journalist specializing in Hip-Hop culture and writing music reviews.
