Aaliyah’s uncle Barry Hankerson has made a stunning accusation against his own son over the circumstances surrounding the 2001 plane crash that killed the R&B superstar and eight others.
Hankerson, the founder of Blackground Records and Aaliyah’s former manager, alleges in new court filings that his son, Jomo Hankerson, failed to properly carry out his responsibilities as a travel coordinator for the singer’s “Rock the Boat” music video shoot in the Bahamas.
According to the filings, Barry claims Jomo was hired and compensated to handle travel logistics for the trip. He further alleges that the fatal flight might have been avoided had those responsibilities been properly handled.
The accusations are part of a legal dispute that has exposed a deeper fracture within the Hankerson family decades after Aaliyah’s death.
Aaliyah was 22 when she and eight others died on August 25, 2001. Their twin-engine Cessna 402B crashed shortly after takeoff from Marsh Harbour in the Abaco Islands.
The National Transportation Safety Board determined that the aircraft was significantly overloaded with passengers and equipment, contributing to the pilot’s inability to maintain altitude.
The court filings also point to other findings from the investigation. Pilot Luis Morales III had traces of cocaine and alcohol in his system, according to the supplied material, and was not authorized to fly that particular aircraft.
Barry’s allegations, however, focus specifically on the travel arrangements surrounding the return trip. He claims Jomo’s alleged failure to properly coordinate the logistics contributed to the chaotic circumstances at the airport before the fatal flight.
Barry also alleges that the tragedy permanently damaged his relationship with his son. Jomo had previously worked as an executive at Blackground Records, making the dispute both a family conflict and a legal battle tied to one of the most devastating moments in Aaliyah’s life.
Importantly, the allegations in the new filings are Barry’s claims. They do not establish that Jomo caused the crash, and the supplied material does not indicate that investigators concluded Jomo was responsible for the accident.
The legal dispute comes as Aaliyah’s legacy continues to endure. The singer was at the height of her career when she died, having recently released her self-titled third album, while her music remained largely unavailable on streaming platforms for years because of disputes involving Blackground Records.
Representatives for Jomo Hankerson have not provided a public response to the specific allegations described in the filings.
More than two decades later, the tragedy that ended Aaliyah’s life is now at the center of a new legal fight—and this time, the allegations are coming from within her own family circle.
