TAMPA (970 WFLA) -- Before the crash that took Roy Halladay's life November 7th, his plane had gone as low as 10 feet above the Gulf, and 75 feet above some waterfront houses, according to preliminary data from the National Transportation Safety Board investigation.
The NTSB says the Cy Young award winning pitcher took off from a lake near his Odessa home about 11:47 a.m. Data from the plane's recorder shows it crossed U.S. 19 at 600 feet up, then dived to 36 feet over water before turning south, going as low as 11 feet over Green Key Beach (Holiday) at around 100 mph. Over the next few minutes, Halladay's Icon A-5 climbed and dived several times, passing over the Gulf Harbor South Beach area at 75 feet and dipping as low as 10 feet above the water.
On the final pass leading up to the deadly crash, the NTSB says video and a witness show Halladay was descending in a banked left turn at 45 degrees, from 300 to 500 feet up, after climbing from 10 feet above the water.
The NTSB's final report on the crash could take more than a year to complete.
Halladay won the Cy Young award twice and made eight All-Star teams during a career that ended in 2013. He's eligible for the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2019.