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On July 30, 2016, sixteen people were killed when the hot air balloon they were riding in struck power lines, crashed and caught fire in the unincorporated community of Maxwell, near Lockhart, Texas, 30 miles (50 km) south of the state capital Austin. It is the deadliest ballooning disaster to ever occur in the United States.[1]

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2016 Lockhart hot air balloon crash

Maxwell Location of Maxwell in Texas Show map of Texas Maxwell Maxwell (the United States) Show map of the United States
Accident
Date	July 30, 2016 (2016-07-30)
Summary	Collision with power lines due to pilot error
Site	Maxwell, Texas, United States 29°53′6″N 97°45′44″W
Aircraft
Aircraft type	Kubicek BB85Z hot air balloon
Operator	Heart of Texas Balloon Ride company
Registration	N2469L
Flight origin	Fentress Airpark, Texas
Destination	Unplanned
Occupants	16
Passengers	15
Crew	1
Fatalities	16
Survivors	0

Aircraft

The aircraft involved was a Kubicek BB85Z hot air balloon,[2] registration N2469L.[3] The balloon was operated by the Heart of Texas Balloon Ride company, which served people in the Greater Austin area.[4]

Accident

The balloon departed from Fentress Airpark at 06:58 local time (11:58 UTC) on Saturday, July 30, 2016.[2][5] It was carrying the pilot and fifteen passengers.[6] At 07:42,[2] the aircraft struck power lines and crashed into a field near Lockhart, Texas.[7][8][9][5] All sixteen people on board were killed. The emergency services were alerted at 07:44 about a "possible vehicle accident", and arrived at the scene to find the basket of the balloon on fire.[10][11]

A witness described hearing two "pops" which were thought to be a gun going off. Reports said that the balloon lost contact about half an hour into the scheduled one-hour flight.[4] The envelope of the balloon landed about 3⁄4 mile (1,320 yd; 1,210 m) northeast of the burned-out gondola. The flight had covered a distance of about 8 nautical miles (15 km).[2]

Deceased

Alfred G. "Skip" Nichols, pilot
Lorilee Renee (Martinez) Brabson
Paige Brianna Brabson
Ross Gregg Chalk
Sandra Lee (Fannin) Chalk
Harvet SCOTT Douglas
Laura (Olivas) Douglas
John Clifford Gore
Stacee Lynn (Dickey) Gore
Holly (Smith) Huckabee
Brian Ross Neill
Tressie May (Hanson) Neill
Rocklnd Joseph "Joe" Owens
Tresa (Shafer) Owens
Dr. Matthew Penick Rowan
Sunday Kay (Stewart) Rowan
[12]

Investigation

The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) led the investigation into what was designated a "major accident" by the NTSB.[13][4] The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) also secured evidence for the NTSB's investigation.[9] Fourteen personal electronic devices (cellphones, an iPad, and cameras) were recovered from the wreckage. These were turned over to the FBI for the recovery of evidence.[2] The NTSB held an investigative hearing into the accident in December 2016.[14][15]

In October 2017, the NTSB determined the accident was caused by the pilot's "pattern of poor decision-making" that led him to launch the balloon (on a day when other balloon operators cancelled their planned flights because of low cloud and fog), to continue the flight into fog and above clouds, and then to descend near clouds which made it difficult to see and avoid obstacles. The pilot's medical conditions (depression and ADHD), the prescription drugs he was taking, and the fact that balloon pilots do not need a medical certificate even for commercial flights were contributing factors leading to the accident.[5]

Aftermath

On August 1, Heart of Texas Hot Air Balloon Rides, whose owner died in the accident, announced that it would be suspending operations.[16][17] More than two years later on September 27, 2018, the House of Representatives approved new legislation that would mandate medical exams for commercial balloon pilots.[18]

See also

• List of ballooning accidents
• 2012 Carterton hot air balloon crash -- a very similar accident where poor pilot decision-making resulted in balloon colliding with power lines

References

External links

• Heart of Texas Hot Air Balloon Rides homepage

На других языках

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- [en] 2016 Lockhart hot air balloon crash

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[fr] Accident de montgolfière de Maxwell

L'accident de montgolfière de Maxwell est un accident aérien impliquant une montgolfière type Kubicek BB85Z[1] survenu le 30 juillet 2016 à Maxwell, dans le comté de Caldwell, au Texas. Il provoque la mort de 16 personnes, ce qui en fait le deuxième accident de montgolfière le plus meurtrier de l'histoire, après celui de Luxor en 2013 (en)[2].

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[ru] Катастрофа воздушного шара в Локхарте

30 июля 2016 года погибли 16 человек в результате возгорания и падения воздушного шара на территории Максвелл вблизи города Локхарт в американском штате Техас, в 50 километрах на юг от столицы штата Остина. Это крупнейшая катастрофа воздушного шара в Соединённых Штатах и вторая по величине в мире, после катастрофы в Луксоре в 2013. Также это крупнейшая авиационная катастрофа в Америке со времени катастрофы DHC-8 под Буффало 2009 года.

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