Cocaine Found in Body of Pilot in Aaliyah Crash

The pilot of the Cessna 402B recip-twin that crashed on takeoff in the Bahamas last year, killing 22-year-old singer and actress Aaliyah, himself and seven others, had traces of cocaine and alcohol in his body. Authorities are investigating how the substances might have affected the pilot at the time of the crash. The 30-year old pilot was sentenced to three years probation on charges of crack cocaine possession 12 days before the crash. Aviation authorities also said the airplane was at least 700 lb overweight and may not have undergone required maintenance.