Doctor Giovander Raju, who performed autopsies on a number of the crash victims, concluded that the singer had been killed by severe burns and a blow to the head. He also stated that Aaliyah had a weak heart, so there would have been little chance of her surviving even if the crash hadn't killed her.

Pilot Luis Morales has been accused by investigators of not having the correct type of license required to fly the plane, and of having both cocaine and alcohol in his system at the time of the crash. Earlier this year, Aaliyah's family reached an undisclosed settlement with the company who owned the plane.