A day of fun turned tragic after a hot air balloon crashed, killing all 16 people on board early Saturday morning.
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Erik Grosof of the National Transportation Safety Board said the agency deemed it a major accident and a full investigation would begin on Sunday when more national officials arrive.
A woman at the Caldwell County Sheriff’s Office told Newsy that police don’t believe anyone survived the crash.
Sixteen deaths would rank the accident as one of the worst hot-air balloon crashes in history, surpassed only by a crash in Luxor, Egypt, that killed 19 people in February 2013.
The crash happened Saturday at about 7:40 a.m.in a pasture in Maxwell, Texas.
The land near the crash site is mostly farmland, with corn crops and grazing cattle.
Margaret Wylie, who witnessed the crash, told broadcaster TWC News Austin that she first heard a “woosh” then popping before seeing the flames.
Investigators surround the scene in a field near Lockhart, Texas where a hot air balloon carrying at least 16 people collided with power lines Saturday, July 30, 2016, causing what authorities described as a “significant loss of life”.
“About the time I looked over there was when a whooshing sound happened and the fireball went up”, she said.
Aamodt said many people do not realize the hot air balloons are actual aircrafts and those who operate the balloons have a license through the FAA.
Heart of Texas Hot Air Balloon Rides is not accredited by the BBB and has a D+ rating. Grosof said it’s likely a crime scene and they want to make sure they do everything correctly with the one shot they have.
Cutting through that farmland is a row of massive high-capacity electrical transmission lines about four to five storeys tall.
Although “such an accident has yet to occur” in the U.S., Hersman wrote at the time, “based on the number of recurring accidents in the United States involving similar safety issues, the NTSB believes that air tour balloon operators should be subject to greater regulatory oversight”. The agency said at least 16 people were on board the balloon. The site of the crash appears to be right below the overhead lines, though authorities have not provided further details about what happened.
Cecilia and I extend our deepest condolences for all those who have been affected by today’s heartbreaking tragedy.
Abbott says he and his wife’s thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families, as well as the Lockhart community. The Texas Department of Public Safety confirmed that 16 people were dead.
“Right now, we have a number of fatalities”, a National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) spokesman said from the scene, adding that an Federal Bureau of Investigation team was being dispatched to help in evidence-gathering.
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Lockhart is about thirty miles south of Austin.
