No apparent survivors in Texas balloon crash

The Federal Aviation Administration said the hot air balloon hit a high-voltage power line caught fire and then crashed. Authorities have said it’s likely no one survived the crash Saturday morning.

– Two sources told CNN the balloon may have struck power lines. Authorities have said there do not appear to be any survivors.

A hot-air balloon burst into flames over central Texas on Saturday after apparently striking power lines and plunged into a field, killing all 16 people aboard in one of the deadliest such accidents on record, police and eyewitnesses said. “This will be a hard site for us to work through”, Grosof said.

Just minutes before the crash, a husband and wife traveling on the Texas 130 toll road spotted the balloon, which was piloted by Heart of Texas Hot Air Balloon Rides owner Alfred “Skip” Nichols.

“We have very rigid limits on conditions that we’ll fly in every balloon company goes out and figured out what their hazards are and how to avoid them”, he said. His office said it was working to determine the identities of those aboard. Officers found the balloon basket on fire on the ground, the statement said.

Margaret Wylie lives about a quarter-mile from the crash site and told the AP that she was letting her dog out Saturday morning when she heard a “pop, pop, pop”.

“It was a fire, a big ball of flames. I’d say it got as high up as those lower electric lines”.

– The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating. “There were a number of fatalities”, he said.

The investigation would begin “full bore” once the team of experts arrives, Grosof said, and it will be led by NTSB investigator Bill English.

The area between Austin and San Antonio is a common place to fly balloons, Bradley said.

U.S. Senator Ted Cruz released a statement in regards to the hot air balloon crash.

“The potential for a high number of fatalities in a single air tour balloon accident is of particular concern if air tour balloon operators continue to conduct operations under less stringent regulations and oversight”, then-NTSB Chairman Deborah Hersman wrote. Several days will be spent on field work – interviewing people and gathering evidence at the scene. For now, investigators are treating the area of the crash much like a crime scene, he said.

“Abbott said in a statement Saturday that he and his wife, Cecilia Abbott, “extend our deepest condolences” for those affected” by the “heartbreaking tragedy”.

‘Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families, as well as the Lockhart community. “As always, Texans are strong in the face of adversity, and we all stand together in support of the families and entire Lockhart community as they respond to and begin to heal from this bad incident”.

Heart of Texas Hot Air Balloon Rides is not accredited by the BBB and has a D+ rating. Aerial television footage from the aftermath of the accident showed remnants of the red, white and blue balloon, adorned with a large, yellow smiley face wearing sunglasses, lying flattened at the crash site.

The NTSB had based its warning on three prior balloon accidents that it had investigated.