The balloon crashed on Saturday into a field near Lockhart, about 48 kilometres south of Austin, killing all aboard.
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As the investigation into what caused Saturday’s deadly balloon crash in Texas is underway, questions are being raised over whether the deadliest hot air balloon accident in US history could have been avoided had the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) listened to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).
“The NTSB feels that there needs to be greater oversight by the regulator, and that regulator is the Federal Aviation Administration”, Sumwalt told a news conference near the crash site on Sunday.
Authorities said they believe the balloon caught fire after crashing into power lines on Saturday.
Foggy weather during the flight may have also contributed to the crash, the country’s deadliest ever balloon accident.
Lirette also confirmed that 16 people, 15 passengers and Nichols, were riding in the balloon when it went down near Lockhart, Texas. In 2014, just a month after the initial warning from the NTSB, three people were killed in Virginia after a hot air balloon struck a power line.
Neither the victims nor the operator of the balloon have been officially identified but friends and relatives named the pilot as Skip Nichols who ran Heart of Texas Hot Air Balloon Rides.
The names of the passengers have not been officially released, but friends and family of Paige Brabson and her mother, Lorilee Brabson, said the two women were among the dead. They remembered Nichols’ personality and the hot air balloon with a smile on the side.
“We are concerned that, if no action is taken to address this safety issue, we will continue to see such accidents in the future.”
– In 2013, 19 people died in a hot air balloon crash in Egypt, near the ancient city of Luxor.
Margaret Wylie lives about a quarter-mile from the crash site and told The Associated Press that she was letting her dog out Saturday morning when she heard a “pop, pop, pop”. Nichols was known as “Skip” in both places and owned a hot air balloon touring company in St. Louis County at the time, said the officer, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition that he not be identified because he was not authorized to comment publicly. They’ll also be reviewing any video shot by witnesses.
Heart of Texas’ website said it offers rides in the San Antonio, Houston and Austin areas. It is believed that the balloon hit the high-capacity power lines surrounding the field and that the propane fueled balloon caught fire and crashed. Federal rules already require commercial pilots like her to have their balloons inspected every year or every 100 hours, among other requirements, she said.
Robert Sumwalt, who will head the NTSB’s crash investigation team, said he was studying the board’s recommendations to the FAA based on previous hot air balloon crashes.
After Huerta’s reply, the NTSB classified the FAA’s response to the two balloon safety recommendations as “open-unacceptable”, which means the safety board was not satisfied with the FAA’s response.
It will take time for investigators to determine the cause of Saturday’s accident.
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Lynn Lunsford, a spokeswoman for the FAA, told NBC News that it was “too early to say” whether the FAA would reconsider the NTSB recommendations “until we’ve had a chance to gather and examine the evidence in this particular case”.
