Hot air balloon carrying at least 16 people crashes in Texas

The balloon burst into flames and plummeted to earth soon after dawn outside the town of Lockhart, some 30 miles (50 kilometers) south of Austin, the FAA said in a statement.

Authorities would not confirm the exact number of deaths in Saturday’s crash, but Lynn Lunsford with the Federal Aviation Administration said the balloon was carrying at least 16 people and the Caldwell County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement that it didn’t look like anyone survived.

Collisions with power lines are a leading cause of hot air balloon crashes. “Cecilia and I extend our deepest condolences for all those who have been affected by today’s heartbreaking tragedy”.

Gov. Greg Abbott said his thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families, as well as the Lockhart community. “The investigation into the cause of this tragic accident will continue, and I ask all of Texas to join us in praying for those lost”, he said.

From 1964 to 2013, the NTSB investigated 760 hot air balloon accidents in the United State, 67 of them fatal.

A hot air balloon crash near Lockhart Saturday morning may be the deadliest incident of its kind in US history.

Federal investigators have not publicly identified the pilot or the company that operated the balloon.

The balloon was operated by Heart of Texas Hot Air Balloon Rides, owned and operated by Alfred “Skip” Nichols, described by friends and neighbors as a longtime balloon operator with a love of floating high above Texas cities.

Another hot air balloon pilot told KXAN he cancelled three launches in the same area Saturday morning.

Lirette also confirmed to CNN that 16 people – 15 passengers and Nichols – were aboard the aircraft when it went down.

Authorities have not identified the pilot or passengers in Saturday’s crash near Lockhart, Texas.

A neighbor who saw the aftermath said hot air balloons are common in the area.

Erik Grosof, NTSB spokesperson, said “right now we have a number of fatalities”.

Federal Aviation Authority officials said the balloon carrying 16 people caught fire before crashing, but provided few other details.

Authorities have not released the names of those who were on board and have not said who was flying the balloon.

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. “We think there may be some chase footage from those cars”, he said. Cutting through that farmland is a row of massive high-capacity transmission lines about 4 to 5 stories tall.

“I looked around and it was like a fireball going up”, said Margaret Wylie, noting that the fireball was located under the large power lines and nearly high enough to reach the bottom of them.

Heart of Texas’ website says it offers rides in the San Antonio, Houston and Austin areas. However, photos taken by passersby of the hot air balloon shortly before the horrific accident reveals that the balloon may have been struggling to stay afloat. No one answered the door at a home in Kyle, Texas, believed to be his.

The FAA is responsible for regulating the hot air balloons, which use propane gas to heat the air that rises into the balloon and lifts it. But in the 2014 letter, then-NTSB Chairwoman Deborah Hersman pointed out that balloon operators do not face the same requirements as commercial plane and helicopter operators, including maintaining a letter of authorization, or LOA, which triggers periodic surveillance checks to ensure flights are being conducted properly. The FAA rejected those recommendations, and 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.

NTSB board member Robert Sumwalt said at a press conference Sunday that investigators will be looking at all aspects of the flight, reports CBS affiliate KEYE-TV in Austin.