crashes, near Lockhart TX — 16

lornajarrettblanchard July 30, 2016

— 16 CNN. “Newlyweds among victims of deadly Texas balloon Crash.” 7-31-2016.

— 16 KXAN-TV, Austin. “All 16 passengers killed in balloon disaster identified.” 8-2-2016.

— 16 NBC News. “Texas Balloon Crash: FAA and NTSB Clash Over Pilots’ Disclosure Rules.”

— 16 NTSB. Preliminary Report, Identification: DCA16MA204. 8-4-2016.

Narrative Information

NTSB:

“14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation

“Accident occurred Saturday, July 30, 2016 in Lockhart, TX

“Aircraft: KUBICEK BB85, registration: N2469L

“Injuries: 16 Fatal.

“This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed. NTSB investigators traveled in support of this investigation and used data obtained from various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.

“On July 30, 2016, about 0742 central daylight time, a Balony Kubicek BB85Z hot air balloon, registration N2469L, crashed into a field after striking high voltage powerlines near Lockhart, Texas. The 15 passengers and pilot onboard were fatally injured and the balloon was substantially damaged due to impact forces and post-crash fire. The flight was operating under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a sightseeing passenger flight.” (National Transportation Safety Board. Preliminary Report, Identification: DCA16MA204. Washington, DC: NTSB, 8-4-2016.)

July 31, CNN: “Kyle, Texas (CNN) — Matt and Sunday Rowan had been married less than six months before their lives were cut short in this weekend’s hot air balloon crash that killed 16 people near Lockhart, Texas [off State Highway 142].[1]

“Authorities believe the balloon caught on fire after crashing into power lines on Saturday. There were no survivors….

“The pilot in the crash was also identified on Sunday. He was Alfred “Skip” Nichols, said Alan Lirette, the ground crew supervisor for Heart of Texas Hot Air Balloon Rides.

“Lirette also confirmed to CNN that 16 people — 15 passengers and Nichols — were aboard the aircraft when it went down. The Caldwell County Sheriff’s Office said there were no survivors, and Lirette said there didn’t appear to be any children on board….

“An official death toll of 16 would make this the deadliest hot air balloon crash in U.S. history, according to the National Transportation Safety Board.

“The balloon went down around 7:30 a.m. Saturday about 30 miles south of Austin, in farm pasture often used for balloon landings, a county judge and public safety source told CNN.

“Federal and local authorities said the balloon may have struck power lines. Federal Aviation Administration officials said it caught fire before crashing….

“Both the FAA and the NTSB are investigating. NTSB spokesman Christopher O’Neill said 16 was the maximum number of passengers allowed under federal regulations governing hot air balloon operations….

“Before Saturday, the deadliest hot air balloon crash in the U.S. was a 1993 accident in Colorado that killed six people, according to the NTSB.

“In 2013, 19 people died in a hot air balloon crash in Egypt, near the ancient city of Luxor. That was the world’s deadliest hot air balloon accident in at least 20 years.

“Federal regulators have clashed in the past over how to best oversee hot air balloon regulations. The FAA sets federal regulations for the aircraft. But the NTSB — which can recommend new regulations — has said more accidents would occur without more regulation. The former chair of the NTSB, Deborah Hersman, urged the FAA in 2014 to address “operational deficiencies” in hot air balloon activities after several incidents resulted in injuries and one death, according to a letter published on the NTSB’s website. Hersman cited accidents in 2007, 2008 and 2013, according to the letter publicly posted on the federal agency’s site. ‘Depending on gondola capacity, balloons can carry more than 20 passengers per flight. Given the various safety deficiencies noted in the NTSB’s investigations of the above balloon accidents, 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,’ Hersman said in the letter, referring to the 2013 accident in Egypt. In the letter, Hersman recommended requiring commercial balloon operators to acquire and maintain letters of authorization to hold air tour flights and to give passengers ‘a similar level of safety oversight as passengers of air tour airplane and helicopter operations.’

“In 2015, the FAA responded to the NTSB request, saying the proposed letters of authorization “would not result in a significantly higher level of operational safety.” The NTSB fired back in a 2016 statement, saying the FAA’s reply was an ‘unacceptable response.’[2] The NTSB argued the letters of authorization would allow for competency checks including pilot certification, safety checklists, and proper flight operation procedures. ‘We are concerned that, if no action is taken to address this safety issue, we will continue to see such accidents in the future,’ the NTSB response said….

“Twenty-five balloon accidents, resulting in 4 fatalities and 25 serious injuries, have occurred since Hersman’s 2014 letter and the last warning issued by the NTSB in March 2016, according to the exchange posted on its website….” (CNN. “Newlyweds among victims of deadly Texas balloon Crash.” 7-31-2016.

Victims[3]

Brabson, Lorilee, 48, San Antonio, TX
Brabson, Paige, 23 (daughter of Lorilee), San Antonio, TX
Chalk, Ross, 60, Wimberley, TX
Chalk, Sandra, 55, Wimberley, TX (wife of Ross)
Douglas, Laura, 46, Mineral Springs, TX
Douglas, Scott, 47 (husband of Laura), Mineral Springs, TX
Gore, John, 33, Mineral Wells, TX
Gore, Stacee, 31, Mineral Wells, TX
Huckabee, Holly, Katy, TX (friend of Tresa Owens)
Neill, Brian, 45, San Antonio, TX
Neill, Tressie, 43 (wife of Brian), San Antonio, TX
Nichols, Alfred “Skip,” 49, (pilot)
Owens, Joe, 43, Katy, TX
Owens, Tresa Shafer, 54 (wife of Joe). Katy, TX
Rowan, Matt, 34, San Antonio, TX
Rowan, Sunday, 34, (wife of Matt), San Antonio, TX

Sources

CNN (Liz Flynn and Thom Patterson). “Newlyweds among victims of deadly Texas balloon Crash.” 7-31-2016. Accessed 7-31-2016 at: http://www.cnn.com/2016/07/31/us/texas-hot-air-balloon-crash/

CNN (Ralph Ellis). “Texas hot air balloon victims were celebrating anniversaries and birthdays.” 8-2-2016. Accessed 8-3-2016 at: http://www.cnn.com/2016/08/02/us/texas-hot-air-balloon-victims/

KXAN-TV (Calily Bien), Austin. “All 16 passengers killed in balloon disaster identified.” 8-2-2016. Accessed 8-4-2016 at: http://kxan.com/2016/08/02/thirteen-passengers-on-board-balloon-identified/

National Transportation Safety Board. Preliminary Report, Identification: DCA16MA204. Washington, DC: NTSB, 8-4-2016. Accessed 8-5-2016 at: http://www.ntsb.gov/_layouts/ntsb.aviation/brief.aspx?ev_id=20160730X25341&key=1#

National Transportation Safety Board. Safety Recommendation A-14-011. Accessed 7-31-2016 at: http://www.ntsb.gov/_layouts/ntsb.recsearch/Recommendation.aspx?Rec=A-14-011

NBC News (Corky Siemaszko). “Hot Air Balloon Crashes Carrying 16 in Texas, Likely No Survivors: Sheriff.” Accessed 7-302016 at: http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/hot-air-balloon-carrying-least-16-people-crashes-texas-n620211

NBC News (Alex Johnson). “Texas Balloon Crash: FAA and NTSB Clash Over Pilots’ Disclosure Rules.” 8-2-2016. Accessed 8-4-2016 at: http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/texas-balloon-crash-faa-ntsb-clash-over-pilots-disclosure-rules-n621286

Statesman, Austin. “The Lockhart hot air balloon crash victims.” 8-2-2016. Accessed 8-3-2016 at: http://apps.statesman.com/lockhart-balloon-crash-victims/

[1] KXAN-TV, Austin. “All 16 passengers killed in balloon disaster identified.” 8-2-2016.

[2] NTSB. Safety Recommendation A-14-011. Accessed 7-31-2016.

[3] CNN. “Texas hot air balloon victims…” 8-2-2016; Statesman, Houston. “The Lockhart hot air balloon crash victims.” 8-2-2016; KXAN-TV, Austin. “All 16 passengers killed in balloon disaster identified.” 8-2-2016.