“In its response, the FAA said that it rejected the recommendations, because they would ‘not result in a significantly higher level of operational safety.’ 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'”.
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The note mourned the loss of Skip Nichols and the 15 passengers, “all of whom saw what was planned to be a special day turn into an unspeakable tragedy”. She has declined to comment.
The NTSB said there is no sign that excess alcohol played a role in the crash at this stage although toxicology tests have been carried out on Nichols’ body. He had at least four convictions for drunken driving and had been in prison twice. Of course, even regular drug testing doesn’t guarantee that a balloon pilot won’t be stoned or drunk for any particular flight, but knowing that a pilot isn’t being tested regularly (and this is assuming the companies aren’t testing pilots themselves) might cause one to ask some relevant questions before climbing aboard.
A former girlfriend of Nichols’ described him as a recovering alcoholic.
The main way the FAA regulates commercial balloon operations is that the pilots have to be licensed, but the licensing requirements are less stringent than those for other commercial pilots.
However, it’s generally up to pilots to notify the FAA within 60 days of a conviction.
In a 2014 letter, the board urged the adoption of a requirement that tour companies get FAA permission to operate.
The woman contended that Nichols said he had run out of propane and that the balloon began to fall. His wife Laura also was on the balloon flight, a close friend said.
But Philip Bryant, a suburban Houston balloonist who performs inspections of hot air balloons, is anxious that the federal government may react to Saturday’s crash by severely tightening regulations on pilots and balloon manufacturers more for show than to improve safety. He said the FAA now defers to manufacturers on practices such as annual inspections.
“As long as I’ve been doing this, he hasn’t been a part of it”, Black said of Nichols.
The balloon hit power lines at 7:45 a.m. about 30 miles south of Austin, according to the NTSB.
For anyone looking to take a hot air balloon ride, Barrett has the following pieces of advice: “Don’t buy tickets from a discount organization”.
Further research reportedly revealed the pilot involved in the deadly Texas incident, Alfred Nichols, was formerly an owner of Air Balloon Sports, LLC. In 2014, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) brought to light this difference, calling for reform.
The passengers who died in the crash on Saturday have not all been identified, but friends and family members identified several of the victims to CNN and NBC.
Balloon companies, unlike other commercial aircraft operators, aren’t required to have FAA operating certificates and don’t receive safety inspections. The balloon made contact with the wires. Sixteen people were killed in the crash.
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Josh Rowan said his brother and sister-in-law, Matt and Sunday Rowan, were among those killed. A hot air balloon hit high-tension power lines on Saturday, July 30, 2016, before crashing into a pasture in Central Texas, killing all 16 on board, including Matt and Sunday Rowan.
