Singer Aaliyah shared her apprehension about boarding the plane that ultimately crashed and killed her, according to her former boyfriend Damon “Dame” Dash.
In an interview with Us Weekly, Dash stated that Aaliyah sent him texts expressing her discomfort hours before the fatal flight on August 25, 2001. "She texted me saying, ‘I don’t like the plane.’ I told her, ‘Don’t get on it,'" Dash recounted.
Aaliyah was traveling from the Bahamas to Florida after filming the music video for her song "Rock the Boat." Dash suggested that Aaliyah felt compelled to make the flight to return to him more quickly, relaying that she said, "I am just going to do this video then come right back."
Dash also noted that Aaliyah had a general fear of flying and would often travel with a "satin pillow" she called her "good-luck pillow."
According to Kathy Iandoli's 2022 biography "Baby Girl: Better Known as Aaliyah," an eyewitness alleged that Aaliyah vocalized her concerns about the plane before departure. The eyewitness, Kingsley Russell, who worked for a transportation company, stated that the singer was carried onto the twin-engine Cessna 402B while asleep around 6:50 p.m. on August 25, 2001. Russell also indicated Aaliyah had complained of a headache and was given a pill by a team member.
Also on board the flight were bodyguard Scott Gallin, 41; glam team members Anthony Dudd, 34, Christopher Maldonado, 32, and Eric Forman, 29; music executives Gina Smith, 30, and Douglas Kratz, 28; and Aaliyah's friend Keith Wallace, 49. The pilot was identified as Luis Antonio Morales, 30.
An investigation revealed that Morales was not approved to fly the aircraft and was under the influence of alcohol and cocaine. The plane was also found to be overloaded by 700 pounds and the weight was not evenly distributed.
The aircraft crashed less than a minute after takeoff and caught fire. Aaliyah was 22 years old at the time of her death.
Her "Rock the Boat" music video was released in October 2001, two months after her passing.
Aaliyah's parents, Michael and Diane Haughton, filed a lawsuit against the video production company responsible for arranging their daughter's transportation in the Bahamas. They reached an undisclosed settlement with Instinct Productions in 2003.