The National Transportation Safety Board is calling a hot balloon crash that killed 16 people Saturday near Lockhart a “major crash” that will be investigated by a team of experts from Washington.
Erik Grosof with the safety board said the investigation will begin “full bore” Monday after specialists from an agency “Go Team” arrive in Central Texas. The FBI’s office in San Antonio will assist in collecting evidence in the investigation, Grosof said.
“It’s much like a crime scene,” Grosof said. “You only get one chance at it so you have got to do it right.”
Grosof said it appears the balloon in the crash was operated by Heart Of Texas Hot Air Balloon rides, which is based in New Braunfels, according to the Better Business Bureau.
Margaret Wylie, who lives near the scene, said she heard a pop outside the house and went out to the porch when she heard another pop. She said the then heard a “whooshing noise and saw a fireball go up as high as the lowest power line.
“The next thing I knew,” she said, “I saw a big fireball went up and you’re just praying that whoever is in there got out on time.”
Wylie, who says she see hot air balloons there in the area often, called 911.
Troy Bradley, a hot air balloon pilot in New Mexico, said the area between Austin and San Antonio is a common place to fly balloons.
Bradley said it’s unlikely that the balloon could have caught on fire by itself; rather, he guessed that power lines struck the balloon basket and perhaps ignited fuel. High voltage powerlines are very near the scene where the hot air balloon carrying 16 caught fire and crashed in a hay field Saturday.
Balloons are very simple mechanically, Bradley said, and neither hot weather nor the size of this balloon should have presented a problem. Bradley said he’s flown balloons with up to 28 people, and he flies throughout the summer in New Mexico.
Balloon flight relies on the air inside the balloon being significantly hotter than the surrounding air, Bradley said, so in hot weather, the balloon has to heat up more. But as long as the temperature is taken into account, he said the heat wouldn’t stop a flight.
Noon update: Officials with the Texas Department of Public Safety have confirmed that 16 people died after a hot air balloon caught fire and crashed near Lockhart on Saturday morning.
Investigators said they will hold a news conference at 12:45 p.m.
According to the Associated Press, the balloon company involved has been identified as Heart of Texas Hot Air Balloon Rides.” According to the company’s website, its largest hot air balloon can hold 24 people.
The crash was first reported as a possible vehicle crash west of Lockhart at 7:44 a.m. Saturday, according to the Caldwell County sheriff’s office. It happened near Jolly Road just north of Cistern Road between Maxwell and Lockhart.
When deputies arrived, they realized a fire at the scene was the basket portion of a hot air balloon, the sheriff’s office said. The scene was turned over to the Texas Department of Public Safety.
Investigators were working to determine the identities of those killed.
Gov. Greg Abbott issued a statement extending his condolences to the victims and their families.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families, as well as the Lockhart community,” Abbott’s statement said. “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.”
Earlier: Authorities say there are fatalities after a hot air balloon carrying at least 16 people caught on fire and crashed in Central Texas.
The Caldwell County sheriff’s office said in a statement Saturday that investigators are determining the number of victims and their identities.
Lynn Lunsford with the Federal Aviation Administration said in an earlier statement that the accident happened shortly after 7:40 a.m. Saturday near Lockhart, when the hot air balloon crashed into a pasture. Lunsford said there were at least 16 people on board.
Debris at the scene of the crash lies directly below high-voltage power lines.
Check back for additional details as this story develops.
———
©2016 Austin American-Statesman, Texas
Visit Austin American-Statesman, Texas at www.statesman.com
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
