FAA spokesman Lynn Lundsford said there are no other records of accidents or closed enforcement actions against Heart of Texas Hot Air Balloon Rides, or the company’s pilot and owner, Alfred G. Nichols.
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Following his 2010 conviction for drunk driving, Nichols was sentenced to seven years in prison and was released on parole in January 2012 after less than a year and a half.
Nichols pled guilty to driving while intoxicated in 2002 and he was on probation for a drug offense.
Other victims that have been identified include the pilot, Alfred “Skip” Nichols and newlyweds Matt and Sunday Rowan.
“That’s the only thing I want to talk about, is that he’s a great pilot”, Lirette said of Nichols, who also owned Missouri-based Air Balloon Sports LLC.
“The weather report in the area showed a 500-foot ceiling”.
A member of the National Transportation Safety Board, Robert Sumwalt, criticized what he called a “disparity” in the FAA requirements for balloon operators compared to plane or helicopter pilots.
The Brabsons were originally from Colorado Springs and moved to Texas about three years ago, he said.
“They were really happy and they were in love and they were really starting a life together”, he told reporters. Additionally, the Better Business Bureau warned customers about working with Nichols at a balloon company he operated in the state before moving to Texas.
In a lawsuit filed against Nichols in 2013, a passenger said she was hurt when Nichols crash-landed a balloon in the St. Louis suburbs.
“They’ve been busy trying to collect the maintenance records for us”, Sumwalt said of the crew.
In 2014, the NTSB lobbied the Federal Aviation Administration to tighten its rules on hot air balloon operators, warning of the possibility of a “high number of fatalities in a single air tour balloon accident”.
Family friends tell CNN Joe and Tresa Shafter Owens were among the 16 people killed.
Online court records show Nichols had at least four drunken-driving convictions in Missouri.
Nichols, who had been stripped of his driver’s licence 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. It added: “Since the amount of ballooning is so low, the FAA believes the risk posed to all pilots and participants is also low given that ballooners understand the risks and general hazards associated with this activity”.
Paige Brabson was herself a new mother, according to a Facebook post by Ivan Monterrosa. The Rowans, who lived in San Antonio, were married in February.
Although none of the victims have been publicly identified by authorities, Nichols’ roommate and ground crew operator for the company, Alan Lirette, confirmed to the Associated Press that he was helming the balloon. “Soon after takeoff, she stopped all communication”, he said.
Additionally, the Better Business Bureau of Missouri had warned consumers about doing business with Mr. Nichols, receiving an unsatisfactory record 3 times since 2000 for not responding to complaints.
Sunday Rowan bought the balloon flight for her husband as a birthday gift previous year and it had taken them a while to schedule it, Jones said.
The NTSB is interested in any cellphone video of the flight from witnesses, and investigators will look for devices in the wreckage that might contain video shot by passengers. The crash injured two female passengers.
“At this time, no information has been shared with us by the investigating authorities; it is for that reason we are unable to speak with the families of the passengers, but we do want you to know that we are with you in spirit and prayer and share your grief”.
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“Yesterday, the beloved mother of my daughter, Paige Brabson and her mother, Lorilee Brabson, both passed away in a tragic hot air balloon accident”, Monterrosa wrote.
