Home : Billy Mays, Exclusives : FAA -- Billy Wasn't Wearing a Seat Belt on Plane

FAA -- Billy Wasn't Wearing a Seat Belt on Plane

Posted Jun 28th 2009 12:58PM by TMZ Staff

Billy MaysThe FAA is already deflecting blame for the death of Billy Mays -- claiming the legendary TV pitchman wasn't wearing a seat belt when he took a shot to the head during a rough landing on a flight he was on yesterday.

Here's what we know -- Billy Mays was aboard US Airways Flight 1241 flying from Philadelphia, which landed roughly when the front tire blew out as it touched down. After the flight, Billy told FOX 13 in Tampa that something struck him in the head -- here's Billy's actual quote:

"All of a sudden as we hit you know it was just the hardest hit, all the things from the ceiling started dropping. It hit me on the head, but I got a hard head."

We called the FAA for comment, and a spokesperson told us, "The passenger needs to wear a seat belt during landing and he didn't."

A spokesperson for US Airways did not want to comment until more information comes to light.

Billy posted about it last on his Twitter last night, saying, "Just had a close call landing in Tampa. The tires blew out upon landing. Stuck in the plane on the runway. You can always count on US Air."

Tags: billy mays, BillyMays, dead, faa, oxiclean, pitchman

Comments [365]
SHARE |
4ie6

Relevant Posts

Reader Comments

(Page 4 of 25) Previous 15 Comments | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | Most Recent | Next 15 Comments

46. Yeah, like the FAA knows who does and doesn't wear their seatbelt on every single commercial flight in the USA.

Posted at 9:08PM on Jul 21st 2009 by Jimmy

47. US Airways protecting themselves. They are just making this up that Billy did not have a seatbelt on. What does this have to do with flying luggage afer all. US Airways should secure all luggage and check their tires. I will never fly on US Airways again.

Posted at 1:18PM on Jun 28th 2009 by Janice

48. kind of a dumb headline guys....

Posted at 1:19PM on Jun 28th 2009 by Sand D

49. What the report fails to note is that Vince of ShamWow fame was sitting behind him wtih a hammer. Just a coincidence....

Posted at 1:19PM on Jun 28th 2009 by vince the shamwow guy

50. A seatbelt may not protect you from getting hit in the head but you are required to wear one when a plane is ready to land so no, there will be no lawsuit. You can't run around suing people every time something goes wrong. The minute you step on a plane, you take your life in your own hands. Besides which, maybe if the moron had worn his seatbelt he might not have gotten pegged in the head. If you aren't strapped down to your seat you have a tendency of flying around and that may be why he got pegged in the head. All I can say is that I won't miss him at all. What an annoying human being.

Posted at 1:19PM on Jun 28th 2009 by Angela

51. Is it possible that the airplane incident is completely unrelated to his death??

Posted at 1:47PM on Jun 28th 2009 by Better than you.

52. It sounds like he bounced up and hit his head on the overhead compartment. That would be highly probable if he wasn't wearing his seat belt. Wow. Definitely wear your seatbelt on a flight. Planes are travelling very fast when they depart and approach the ground! I see no fault with the airline for this incident.

It's a shame. I liked Billy Mays. He seemed like a truly good guy.

Posted at 2:56PM on Jun 28th 2009 by Kate Elisabeth

53. Even if he was wearing a seatbelt, doesn't that mean he would STILL get hit on the head? If you read his quote, he said that things were falling from the ceiling and one fell and hit him on the head. Therefore, SEAT BELTS HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH THIS.

TMZ....get with it please.

Posted at 1:34PM on Jun 28th 2009 by Rachel K

54. BILLY MAYS HERE FOR A FUNERAL!!!

Posted at 1:25PM on Jun 28th 2009 by Ed Stevenson

55. The FAA comment is bull. I was seated - wearing my seatbelt - on an American Airlines flight once when some idiot opened the overhead compartment, pulled out his suitcase and a laptop case fell out and hit me on the head. I nearly blacked out but didn't, although when we landed about 15 minutes later, I was dizzy all the way through baggage claim and into the next morning. In hindsight, hearing this, my situation could've been much worse. But having a seatbelt on wasn't going to prevent anything from happening if things were flying around. The airlines need to significantly beef up the latches on these overheads.

Posted at 10:48AM on Jun 29th 2009 by LA2DC

56. He was such a sexy man! I will miss him so much! RIP Billy!

Posted at 1:21PM on Jun 28th 2009 by Awesome Auger

57. Does anybody think this is sort of the same way Natasha Richardson died? Sustaining a hard hit to the head, saying they are fine, only to die within a very short period of time due to the hematoma squeezing and crushing their brain-stem's ability to control breathing????

Posted at 1:24PM on Jun 28th 2009 by CONRAD MURRAY-MD DEGREE FROM CRACKER JACK!

58. Somebody should have had the decency while he was alive to tell him his beard and hair dye job were wretched...now he must burn in hell looking like that.....

Posted at 1:23PM on Jun 28th 2009 by Me

59. Unfortunately we lost a person or better risk significance of thrilling or much more than that, Mr Michael Jackson, and i'm very shocked, he will always be inside me.

Posted at 2:02PM on Jun 28th 2009 by Aldemir Soares Rios

60. what an illogical comment coming from the airlines. do they think everyone is stupid,besides them? they should have exercised their 5th amendment right and remained silent! how does an object falling onto someone's head from above relate to the use or non-use of a seatbelt? what a joke.

Posted at 1:25PM on Jun 28th 2009 by lee

Previous 15 Comments | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | Most Recent | Next 15 Comments