May
21, 2014
The
National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has issued preliminary findings
on their investigation of a hot air balloon accident that left three people
dead. The report is consistent with eyewitness accounts of the May 9 crash,
which killed pilot Daniel Kirk and passengers Ginny Doyle and Natalie Lewis.
Kirk was a 66-year-old Army veteran that had been flying balloons for over 30
years. Doyle and Lewis both worked for the athletic department at the
University of Richmond.
Witnesses
were able to capture footage of the crash, which apparently occurred at around
7:40 p.m. as Kirk was attempting to land the balloon in a field near Ruther
Glen. Multiple people reported seeing the balloon approach the landing field
from the south where another balloon had just landed. Kirk engaged the burner
at roughly the same time that the balloon struck power lines, which caused a
spark. The balloon basket and a section of the envelope caught fire just as the
balloon began an accelerated climb. People reported seeing two of the balloon's
occupants either jump or fall out as the basket section was engulfed in
flames.
The
incident remains under investigation.
The Dangers of Hot Air Balloons
- Hot air balloons can carry as many as 20 people.
- 109 people have died in 63 hot air balloon accidents in
the U.S. since 1964, according to the NTSB aviation accident
database.
- The NTSB has asked the Federal Aviation Administration
(FAA) to apply stricter regulations to hot air ballooning.
- Most crashes come after collisions with trees, power lines or buildings.
Source: http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-hot-air-balloon-crash-safety-20140510-story.html
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