August 31, 2001 – A public memorial service in honor of 22-year-old singer and actress Aaliyah will be held today in New York City. A continuous loop of Aaliyah's videos, performances and music will run throughout the day. Fans are encouraged and invited to attend, pay tribute to Aaliyah's life and career and mourn this great loss.

Friday, August 31, 2001
10:00 am to 8:00 pm EDT
Cipriani's 42nd Street
110 East 42nd Street
New York, New York

Expert: Aaliyah Plane Was Overloaded

According to the Associated Press, Bahamian aviation officials released an estimate Thursday of the weight of the plane that crashed in clear skies last week, killing the singer Aaliyah and eight others, and an independent expert said the figures indicate it was overloaded.

Aaliyah's plane was carrying about 574 pounds of baggage and an estimated 804 pounds of fuel, investigators said. That would allow for slightly more than 800 pounds for the combined weight of the nine adults. Officials were still working to determine the weight of those aboard. Both of the twin-engine Cessna's engines appear to have been working at the time of the crash, investigators said.

John Frank of the Cessna Pilots Association, a group based in Santa Maria, Calif., that is not affiliated with the plane's manufacturer, said the pilot probably lost control due to the plane's weight. ``The heavier it gets, the more difficult it is to control the aircraft,'' he said. Frank also said that an unbalanced load could make the plane harder to control. Investigators said the placement of the bags inside the aircraft has not been determined.

A witness, Claude Sawyer, said he saw the plane veer left after leaving the ground and quickly disappear below the trees.

The Cessna crashed at Marsh Harbour airport, 100 miles north of Nassau on Abaco Island, killing all nine people on board. Aaliyah, the 22-year-old Grammy-nominated star, was leaving the Bahamas after a shoot for a music video.

There were no signs the plane was damaged before the crash. The Federal Aviation Administration is still trying to clarify the relationship between the apparent operator, Blackhawk International Airways, and its registered owner, Skystream, both based near Miami, said spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen. Neither Skystream nor Blackhawk had a permit to operate commercial charter flights in the Bahamas, said lead investigator Randy Butler of the Civil Aviation Department.

Blackhawk officials did not return calls seeking comment. Skystream's number is unlisted. Blackhawk was cited by the FAA four times from 1997 through 2000 for various violations, including failing to follow drug-testing rules for employees in 1999 and failing to perform proper aircraft maintenance last year.

The Cessna's pilot, Luis Antonio Morales Blanes, had a recent criminal record that included crack cocaine possession and theft. He had been sentenced to three years of probation on the cocaine charges 12 days before the crash.