NTSB, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Federal Aviation Administration are working to uncover what lead up to the balloon crashing into the power lines. And again, it’s not clear whether pilot error contributed to the crash.
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Because balloon mishaps are so rare, people tend to pay attention to them, said Mike Kijak of Windsor who retired last year after flying balloons for 26 years.
Nichols, who had been stripped of his driver’s license at least twice, “couldn’t drive a vehicle but he could pilot a hot air balloon”, said an attorney who represented a passenger who sued Nichols in 2013. Salter reported from St. Louis.
All 16 people onboard – 15 passengers and pilot Alfred “Skip” Nichols – died in the crash that is being called the deadliest of its kind in US history.
The Federal Aviation Administration might allow a recovering alcoholic to fly commercial jets if the pilot could show that he or she was being successfully treated, said John Gadzinski, an airline captain and aviation safety consultant.
Those certificates, which can expire after a few years, require pilots to answer whether they’ve been arrested recently for drunken driving and have alcohol problems, Sumwalt said. Instead, they’re required to write a statement certifying that they “have no medical defect that would make you unable to pilot a balloon”, according to the agency’s website.
National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) member Robert Sumwalt speaks during a news conference at the scene of Saturday’s hot air balloon crash near Lockhart.
Nichols’ ballooning operations in Missouri also came under scrutiny by the Better Business Bureau, which in 2008 issued a warning to consumers about booking flights with his company, Air Balloon Sports.
He was convicted of a drug crime in 2000, court records show.
Nichols returned to prison in April after his parole was revoked because of a 2010 drunken-driving conviction.
After they receive a license, all pilots are supposed to notify the FAA within 60 days of a drug or alcohol conviction. However, Cannon said, there is no oversight of that reporting requirement for balloon pilots. The FAA turned down that request; it was unknown if the agency would reconsider its position in the wake of the Texas tragedy. According to authorities, the accident involved a Kubicek model balloon owned by the Heart of Texas Hot Air Balloon Rides.
Sumwalt said the ground crew will all be interviewed. There are as many as 200 large balloon tour operators in the country, ranging in size from small outfits to large, multiballoon companies handling up to 25,000 passengers a year, Chatterton said. Customers estimated losing between $70 and $700. None were deterred from taking the ride by the disaster.
Rey Lopez, a former pastor at the church the Neill family attends in San Antonio, says he got to know the Neills during a camping trip through church five to seven years ago. “He became a different person”.
Nichols pleaded guilty to two driving while intoxicated charges.
“Matt and Sunday were taken from us far too early but we want people to know how truly fantastic and in love they were”, he says.
Now, Josh has dedicated himself to sharing memories of his brother and sister-in-law to ensure that the pair, both 34, are remembered more for the incredible lives they led than the tragic death they met.
“An accident of this magnitude is horrifying”, said Appelman.
Before setting up operations in Texas in 2014, Nichols had extensive criminal and business troubles in the St. Louis, Missouri, area. Terms of the settlement were not disclosed. They recovered three cameras and an iPad that Nichols used to navigate the balloon. They took off from a school near House Springs, Missouri.
Nichols, 49, owned Heart of Texas Hot Air Balloon Rides.
Families of the victims have begun to share photos taken by the victims before and during the balloon ride.
Sumwalt said the power wires showed signs of arcing – a discharge of electric power that can include visible light – and abrasions along a 30-foot span, which suggest the balloon hit the lines multiple times. “He called it a controlled landing. My client called it a crash”. Brcic injured her neck and back. Her husband and son were unharmed.
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The woman contended that Nichols said he had run out of propane and that the balloon began to fall. Please see our terms of service for more information. AP material published by LongIsland.com, is done so with explicit permission.
