FILE - In this Aug. 8, 2014, file photo, former Philadelphia Phillies' Roy Halladay acknowledges the crowd before a baseball game against the New York Mets, in Philadelphia. Halladay sped his small sports plane low over the Gulf of Mexico minutes before his fatal crash two weeks ago, climbing sharply in the final seconds before diving into the water, federal investigators said in a preliminary report released Monday, Nov. 20, 2017. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum, File)
FILE - In this Aug. 8, 2014, file photo, former Philadelphia Phillies' Roy Halladay acknowledges the crowd before a baseball game against the New York Mets, in Philadelphia. Halladay sped his small sports plane low over the Gulf of Mexico minutes before his fatal crash two weeks ago, climbing sharply in the final seconds before diving into the water, federal investigators said in a preliminary report released Monday, Nov. 20, 2017. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum, File) Credit: Matt Slocum

Fort Lauderdale, Fla. — Retired star pitcher Roy Halladay sped his small sports plane low over the Gulf of Mexico minutes before his fatal crash two weeks ago, climbing sharply in the final seconds before diving into the water, federal investigators said in a preliminary report released on Monday.

National Transportation Safety Board investigator Noreen Price placed no blame for the Nov. 7 accident near Tampa, simply laying out the facts as gleaned from the plane’s data recorder and eyewitnesses. A final report with conclusions could take one to two years.

Price said Halladay, 40, had taken off from a lake near his Tampa-area home about 17 minutes before the crash, taking his Icon A5 to 1,900 feet before dropping to 600 feet as he neared the coastline. He then dropped to 36 feet when he reached the water. While flying at about 105 mph, Halladay skimmed the water at 11 feet, flying in a circle before climbing to 100 feet, the plane’s data showed.

A witness told investigators the plane climbed to between 300 and 500 feet when it turned and went into a 45-degree dive. It slammed into the water and flipped.

Halladay’s body was found with the plane, which was severely damaged.

Jones, Thome on HOF Ballot

New York — Chipper Jones, Jim Thome and Omar Vizquel are among 19 first-time candidates on the Baseball Writers’ Association of America ballot for the Hall of Fame.

They are joined by Johan Santana and Chris Carpenter. Also among the newcomers to the 33-man ballot announced Monday are Jamie Moyer, Andruw Jones, Carlos Lee, Kevin Millwood, Carlos Zambrano and Johnny Damon.

Trevor Hoffman, who fell five votes short last year, leads the holdovers that include Vladimir Guerrero, Edgar Martinez, Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds, Mike Mussina and Curt Schilling.

Deadline Extended forJapan Posting Deal

New York — The Major League Baseball Players Association has extended its deadline by a day to 8 p.m. tonight for an agreement on a new posting system between the Major League Baseball and its Japanese counterpart, a deal that would allow star pitcher-outfielder Shohei Ohtani to be put up for bid.

MLB and Nippon Professional Baseball reached agreement several weeks ago on the framework of a new agreement. The rules call for pretty much a continuation of the same system for this offseason: The Japanese club would get a maximum $20 million posting fee, and any MLB club willing to bid that amount would be able to negotiate with Otani for 30 days.

The players association must approve any agreement and last Thursday set a Monday deadline. MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said he did not think the obstacles were insurmountable.