Hot air balloon made contact with power line before crashing, investigators say
Investigators look to determine if the balloon hit the line before or after it caught fire
Evidence shows some part of the hot air balloon made contact with high-tension power lines before crashing into a Central Texas pasture, killing all 16 on board, according to federal authorities who are investigating the worst such disaster in U.S. history.
A power line was tripped at 7:42 a.m. Saturday, and the first call to 911 came a minute later, Robert Sumwalt with the National Transportation Safety Board said during a news conference. The crash site was near a row of high-tension power lines, and aerial photos showed an area of scorched land underneath. One witness described to The Associated Press seeing a "fireball" near the power lines.
He also said that the Caldwell County Sheriff had told him it was foggy after the accident, which happened about 48 kilometres south of Austin, but that it's unclear what the weather was like during the flight itself.
The NTSB will look at all factors that might have played a role, including weather, but is concentrating on gathering "perishable evidence, the evidence that goes away with the passage of time," Sumwalt said, noting some of that is witness statements that can fade with time.
"This wreckage will not be here more than another day or so," he added.
The pilot was Skip Nichols, 49, said Alan Lirette, who identified Nichols as his best friend, roommate and boss. Lirette said he helped launch the balloon, which was carrying a total of 16 people, none of them children. The NTSB has not yet identified the pilot or the passengers.
The NTSB said the balloon was run by Heart of Texas Hot Air Balloon Rides. Nichols' Facebook page identifies himself as the chief pilot at Heart of Texas, which does not appear to be registered with the state of Texas.
The passengers, who have not been identified, met the balloon operator at about 5:45 a.m. Saturday, and travelled to Fentress Texas Airpark. Ground crew members told the NTSB that they launched about 20 minutes after the expected 6:45 a.m. time. Sumwalt said the ground crew communicated with the balloon by cellphone, and the pilot navigated with an iPad.
It travelled about 13 kilometres from takeoff to crash, and the basket was found about a kilometre from the balloon material itself.
Long ID process
In a statement, Caldwell County Sheriff Daniel Law and the Texas Department of Public Safety confirmed the number of dead at 16, adding that the NTSB and medical professionals have said identification of the victims will be "a long process."
An online Federal Aviation Administration database said an Alfred G. Nichols of Chesterfield, Mo., was medically certified to fly in 1996 and was rated a commercial pilot of lighter-than-air balloons on July 14, 2010. The rating is limited to hot air balloons with an airborne heater. Missouri records also listed Nichols as the owner of Air Balloon Sports LLC, based from the same Chesterfield address as the FAA record.
Lirette said Nichols went by the first name of Skip.
Speaking to the AP from a house he shared with Nichols, Lirette would not answer specific questions about the balloon's launch or its crash.
"That's the only thing I want to talk about, is that he's a great pilot," Lirette said of Nichols. "There's going to be all kinds of reports out in the press and I want a positive image there too."
'Very new equipment'
Philip Bryant of Ballooning Adventures of Texas in Richmond, which also does inspections and maintenance for other operators, said the balloon that crashed had "very good equipment, very new equipment."
Nichols brought his balloon into his inspection facility in May 2014 and was issued a one-year recertification, Bryant said. The manufacturer of Nichols' balloon mandates an annual inspection, he said, adding that he couldn't do it this year but believes Nichols took it to another inspector.
Numerous calls to Heart of Texas operations manager Sarah Nichols, 72, rang unanswered.
Heart of Texas' website said it offers rides in the San Antonio, Houston and Austin areas. The company's Facebook page has photos of a hot air balloon flying with a smiley face with sunglasses on it, people waving from a large basket on the ground and group selfies taken while aloft.
NTSB investigators will look at "three things — human, machine and environment," Sumwalt reiterated Sunday afternoon. The investigation will include the balloon's maintenance history and the weather at the time of the crash.
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.
The victims
Although officials haven't released information about any of the victims, media is starting to learn who they were.
Friends and family of Paige Brabson and her mother, Lorilee Brabson, said the two women are among the dead, Reuters reported.
Paige Brabson was herself a new mother, according to a Facebook post by Ivan Monterrosa. It was not immediately clear where the women lived.
"Yesterday, the beloved mother of my daughter, Paige Brabson and her mother, Lorilee Brabson, both passed away in a tragic hot air balloon accident," Monterrosa wrote. "All I ask for are prayers and good vibes not just for myself but the Brabson family as well."
Newlyweds Matt Rowan and Sunday Rowan, were among those on board the hot air balloon. His brother, Josh Rowan, said that as the two prepared to take the balloon ride they texted family and posted on social media pictures of the balloon set up, the rising sun, them in the basket.
"It's a bit haunting now but I guess it was a bit of a play-by-play," Josh Rowan told The Associated Press on Sunday.
He said the two, both 34, lived in San Antonio and just got married in February. "They were really happy and they were in love and they were really starting a life together," he said.
With files from Reuters