Balloon pilot’s medications cited in crash that killed 16 people

AUSTIN, Texas — Investigators believe that the pilot in the deadliest hot-air balloon crash in U.S. history was impaired by Valium, opioids and cold and allergy medicine when he ignored weather warnings and flew the ride into a power line, investigators said Tuesday.

Besides Valium and oxycodone, there was enough of the over-the-counter antihistamine Benadryl in Alfred “Skip” Nichols’ system to mimic “the impairing effect of a blood-alcohol level” of a drunk driver, said Dr. Nicholas Webster, a National Transportation Safety Board medical officer.

During a meeting in Washington, the transportation board revealed its findings about the July 2016 crash near Austin that killed all 16 people aboard. Investigators scolded the Federal Aviation Administration for lax enforcement of the ballooning industry and recommended that balloon pilots submit to the same medical checks as airplane pilots.

Nichols, 49, had at least four convictions for drunken driving, though no alcohol was found in his system after the balloon crash. Investigators said Nichols was told during a weather briefing before the flight that clouds may be a problem. He brushed off the warning.

Visibility was 10 miles about two hours before the balloon took off from a WalMart parking lot near the rural town of Lockhart but had diminished to just 2 miles before the ride began.

Investigators said Nichols told his psychiatrist three months before the crash that he was not using his antidepressant medication and that his psychiatrist documented his mood as “not good.” Nichols was prescribed 13 medications and was also being treated for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, which investigators say also was a contributing factor.

The final public hearing by the safety board into the crash wasn’t the first time the federal government’s crash-site investigators have urged the FAA to more closely regulate the balloon industry. Safety board Chairman Robert Sumwalt ripped the FAA and questioned why the agency was endorsing voluntary pilot requirements written by the Balloon Federation of America instead of tightening regulations.