The following research list includes every Major League Baseball player who passed away due to an airplane crash, as researched by Baseball Almanac.
"Baseball legend Roy Halladay had amphetamines, morphine and traces of a drug used to treat insomnia in his system when he was killed after crashing his private plane into the Gulf of Mexico last year, an autopsy report revealed Friday. The 40-year-old former Phillies pitcher was alone in his two-seat sports plane when it plunged into the ocean 10 miles off the coast of St. Petersburg, Fla. on Nov. 7. Halladay, a sure-bet Hall-of-Famer who retired from baseball after the 2013 season, was alternately flying high and then buzzing the water before the 'high-energy impact' crushed the plane and ended his life, said National Transportation Safety Board Investigator Noreen Price at the time." - Sommerfeldt, Chris. Staff Writer. New York Daily News: Mix of drugs found in baseball legend Roy Halladay's system after fatal plane crash. 20 January 2018.
Baseball Players That Died in a Plane CrashNames Appear in Chronological Order |
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# | MLB Player Name | Position | Debut | Box | Plane Crash |
1. | Marv Goodwin | Pitcher | 09-07-1916 | 10-21-1925 |
2. | Elmer Gedeon | Outfielder | 09-18-1939 | 04-20-1944 |
3. | Tom Gastall | Catcher | 06-21-1955 | 09-20-1956 |
4. | Charlie Peete | Center Fielder | 07-17-1956 | 11-27-1956 |
5. | Ken Hubbs | Second Baseman | 09-10-1961 | 02-13-1964 |
6. | Nestor Chavez | Pitcher | 09-09-1967 | 03-16-1969 |
7. | Roberto Clemente | Right Fielder | 04-17-1955 | 12-31-1972 |
8. | Irv Medlinger | Pitcher | 04-20-1949 | 09-03-1975 |
9. | Thurman Munson | Catcher | 08-08-1969 | 08-02-1979 |
10. | Jim Hardin | Pitcher | 06-23-1967 | 03-09-1991 |
11. | Cory Lidle | Pitcher | 05-08-1997 | 10-11-2006 |
12. | Roy Halladay | Pitcher | 09-20-1998 | 11-07-2017 |
13. | Tyson Brummett | Pitcher | 10-03-2012 | 07-03-2020 |
# | MLB Player Name | Position | Debut | Box | Plane Crash |
MLB Players Who Died in a Plane Crash | Research by Baseball Almanac |
Trivia: Marv Goodwin was the first player who died in a plane crash. Elmer Gedeon died in an airplane crash during World War II. Roberto Clemente and Roy Halladay are both Hall of Fame Members who died in plane crashes.
If you research the player names listed above—by simply visiting their online baseball card—you'll find many include newspaper clippings or specific details about their respective plane crash.
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