Newsweek (September 10, 2001) p.6

MORE CLUES TO AALIYAH'S ILL-FATED FLIGHT
By Allison Samuels 

Aaliyah Haughton was buried Friday next to her grandmother in White Plains, N.Y., but the controversy surrounding her death is far from over. NEWSWEEK has learned that the 22-year-old double-platinum-selling R&B singer was hesitant to board the tiny twin-engine Cessna 402B that was supposed to take her from the Bahamas to Miami last week. Sources close to the singer say she was fearful of small planes and had been expecting a larger aircraft. "She was very upset at that plane the moment she saw it," said a friend who was with Aaliyah at the airport. Instinct, which produced the video the singer was shooting in the Bahamas, reportedly offered to charter a private jet instead, which would not have arrived for several hours. But Aaliyah just wanted to get home. It was to be her last weekend off before resuming a tough schedule that included the MTV awards, promotion of her album and continued physical training for her roles in "Matrix 2" and "3."

Whereas the pilot, Luis Morales III, was unauthorized to fly the Cessna, a report issued by U.S. investigators said that the plane was 700 pounds overloaded. NEWSWEEK has learned that several members of Aaliyah's makeup and styling crew stayed behind to wait for a larger plane. After passengers boarded the plane, arguments among the ground crew about the weight limitations got heated, according to Sarah Jacobs, a production assistant at the scene. In addition to the luggage, production equipment weighed down the aircraft. A good deal of what had been flown to the island on two cargo planes several days earlier was packed into the Cessna, according to a production-crew source. The equipment was supposed to have been divided between two planes on the way back, according to the same source. The report said the passengers' weight, including Aaliyah's 300-pound bodyguard, overloaded the plane.

In the wake of the tragedy, allegations are building against the pilot; Skystream Inc., which owned the plane; and the operator, Blackhawk International Airways. An attorney for Blackhawk issued a statement that said it was cooperating with authorities. But the search for who is to blame is not likely to end there. "Everyone and anyone is liable here. Somebody dropped the ball in this particular situation and somebody will have to pay for it. It's as simple as that," says Darrel Jones, a legal consultant for several large record companies. Among those who could get entangled in the tragedy's legal aftermath are Aaliyah's label, Virgin Records, and Instinct, which is owned by famed hip-hop video director Hype Williams. Williams picked the Bahamas for the video, though Aaliyah would have preferred Miami, according to several on the shoot. If this shoot followed practice, according to industry sources, then Instinct would have been responsible for arranging travel and lodging. Williams and company returned to the mainland on a chartered yacht. "This is a loss for the world," said Williams, expressing regret for everyone lost on the plane. Representatives of Virgin Records and Hype Williams or Instinct could not be reached for comment.