DEATH IN THE AIR
16 killed in Texas balloon blaze
A HOT AIR balloon carrying 16 people caught on fire and crashed in central Texas Saturday — killing everyone on board — in the worst such accident in American history.
The balloon was consumed by a giant fireball before it plummeted to the ground in a remote pasture near Lockhart about 7:30 a.m., authorities and witnesses said.
“It does not appear at this time that there were any survivors of the crash,” the Caldwell County Sheriff’s Office said. The Texas Department of Public Safety later confirmed the pilot and his 15 passengers were killed.
The balloon went down over farmland that hosts a row of soaring high-capacity transmission lines reaching about five stories into the sky.
Witness Margaret Wylie said she first heard popping noises outside her home about 30 miles south of Austin. Then she heard a “whooshing” sound.
“The next thing I knew, I saw a big fireball went up, and you’re just praying that whoever is in there got out on time,” she told the Austin American-Statesman. “I used to think I wanted to go up in one, but after this, I don’t think so. I may be 66 years old, but I want to live a little bit longer.”
Joe Gonzales was driving with his wife Erika when they spotted the balloon hovering over a tree line and barely moving.
“The flame was really bright, like they were trying to go up,” Gonzales said. “I’d never seen one like that with that many people. It just didn’t look right.”
Authorities confirmed that the balloon was operated by Heart of Texas Hot Air Balloon Rides. The operator, which didn’t return a request for comment, says on its website that its balloons can transport as many as 24 people.
No information on the victims was officially released, but friends confirmed late Saturday that balloon owner Skip Nichols was piloting the craft at the time of the tragedy.
Investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board were scouring the scene Saturday afternoon. The FBI will also assist in collecting evidence, authorities said.
“It’s much like a crime scene,” said Eric Grosof, of the NTSB. “You only get one chance at it so you have got to do it right.”
The initial 911 call came in at 7:44 a.m. as a possible vehicle accident.
“When the emergency responders and the sheriff’s office arrive on the scene it was apparent that the reported fire was the basket portion of a hot air balloon,” Caldwell County Sheriff Daniel Law said. “Investigators are determining the number and the identities of victims at this time.”
Before Saturday, the worst balloon accident in the U.S. took place in August 1993 near Aspen, Colo., when a balloon hit power lines severing the basket.
It plummeted more than 100 feet to the ground, killing all six people aboard.
The worst hot air balloon crash in history, in Egypt in February 2013, claimed 19 lives.
Texas Gov. Gregg Abbott extended his condolences to the victims of the latest crash.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families, as well as the Lockhart community,” he said.