At least 16 people are dead in Texas hot air balloon crash
Posted July 31, 2016 10:59 am.
Last Updated July 31, 2016 2:53 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
TEXAS (NEWS 1130) – Federal officials say there is evidence that some part of the hot air balloon hit electrical wires before crashing, killing 16 on board.
Robert Sumwalt with the National Transportation Safety Board said at a news conference that the sheriff said it was foggy after Saturday morning’s accident, but that it wasn’t clear what the weather was like during the flight itself.
It travelled about 8 miles from takeoff to crash. The basket was found about three-quarters of a mile from the balloon material itself.
The balloon fell in a pasture Saturday morning near Lockhart, about 30 miles south of Austin. The crash site was near a row of high-tension power lines, and aerial photos showed an area of scorched land underneath. One witness described seeing a “fireball” near the power lines.
Sumwalt said the power line was tripped was at 7:42 a.m., and the first call to 911 came a minute later.
It is the deadliest such accident in U.S. history.
The balloon was operated by Heart of Texas Hot Air Balloon Rides, according to two officials familiar with the investigation who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to speak publicly. The operation does not appear to be registered with the state of Texas.
Though authorities haven’t publicly identified the pilot, Alan Lirette told the AP that it was Skip Nichols; his best friend, boss and roommate. Nichols, 49, identifies himself on his Facebook page as the chief pilot of Heart of Texas.
Lirette helped launch the balloon, which Nichols was piloting, Lirette said Sunday morning from their shared house in Kyle, Texas. Lirette also said there were 15 people on board, none of them children, plus Nichols. Lirette would not answer specific questions about the balloon’s launch or crash into a pasture Saturday morning near Lockhart, Texas.
“That’s the only thing I want to talk about, is that he’s a great pilot,” Lirette said of Nichols, who also owns Missouri-based Air Balloon Sports LLC. “There’s going to be all kinds of reports out in the press and I want a positive image there too,” he said
The crash is one of the worst ever in the world. In February 2013, 19 people died and two people were injured when a balloon caught fire over Luxor, Egypt, and plunged 1,000 feet to the ground.
