A bitter legal fight between Aaliyah's uncle and her cousin has produced a stunning accusation: Barry Hankerson is blaming his own son Jomo for the 2001 plane crash that killed the R&B star.
The claim surfaces in lawsuit documents obtained by TMZ, which show Barry alleges Jomo was hired and compensated to coordinate travel for Aaliyah's "Rock the Boat" video shoot in the Bahamas. Barry contends Jomo "failed in his responsibility" to carry out that role, and states the crash "may have been avoided had [Jomo] followed through on his compensated task of travel coordination."
Barry also says his relationship with his son was never the same after Aaliyah's death.
Aaliyah died on August 25, 2001, when a small aircraft crashed shortly after takeoff from Marsh Harbour in the Abaco Islands, killing all nine people aboard. Investigators found the plane was overloaded, and pilot Luis Morales III had falsified FAA credentials, had traces of cocaine and alcohol in his system, and was not certified to fly the designated aircraft.
