A hot air balloon carrying 13 passengers floating across the desert at around 7:50 a.m. Sunday morning crashed in the town Elroy, Ariz., located between Phoenix and Tucson, killing four people and injuring another.
According to the Elroy Police Department, an investigation of the crash is underway and the cause remained unclear as of Tuesday morning.
This isn’t the only fatal hot air balloon incident recorded in recent years. In fact, just two years ago, the National Transportation Safety Board announced new medical rules for hot air balloon pilots in the wake of a 2016 incident that claimed 16 people.
“The NTSB has a long history of concerns about the safety of various revenue passenger-carrying operations, including sightseeing flights conducted in hot air balloons, helicopters and other aircraft as well as parachute jump flights,” said a press release from the agency. “These operations are not subject to the same maintenance, airworthiness and operational requirements as other commercial flight operations.”
Per the National Balloon Museum, people have been flying in hot air balloons ever since one took off from Paris, France in 1783. That balloon was made of paper and silk, today cotton, nylon, and polyester are common materials used to make the balloons.
Research published in the Aerospace Medicine and Human Performance journal found that 78 hot-air balloon tours crashed from 2000 to 2011. These involved a total of 518 occupants, including 91 serious injuries and five fatalities.
“Of the serious injuries characterized, 56% were lower extremity fractures. Most crashes (81%) occurred during landing; 65% involved hard landings,” said the research. “Fixed object collisions contributed to 50% of serious injuries and all 5 fatalities. During landing sequences, gondola dragging, tipping, bouncing, and occupant ejection were associated with poor outcomes. Of the crashes resulting in serious or fatal outcomes, 20% of balloons were significantly damaged or destroyed.”
In Elroy – a destination for skydiving – eight of the passengers on the Droplyne Hot Air Balloon Rides vessel were skydivers. Droplyne was established in 2017 and according to its website it had a perfect safety record.
“We are members of the Balloon Federation of America, keeping up to date with safety seminars and updated practices,” it said. “Our Pilots are FAA Commercial Pilots with in-date medicals and healthy lifestyles.
Our equipment is always up to code and well taken care of. We have safety protocols in place.”
While the crash claimed lives, the Elroy police said that the skydiving portion of the trip was successful.
“It is important to clarify that the skydiving was intentional and was successfully completed by all skydivers before any issues with the hot air balloon were evident,” said the department. It released the names of the crash victims Monday:
Chayton Wiescholek, 28, from Union City, Mich.
Kaitlynn Bartrom, 28, from Andrews, Ind.
Atahan Kiliccote, 24, from Cupertino, Calif.
Cornelius Van Der Walt, 37, originally from South Africa, identified as the pilot
Additionally, Valerie Stutterheim, 23, of Scottsdale, Ariz., is in critical condition.
“We extend our deepest condolences to the families and friends of those who have lost their lives in this tragic incident and our thoughts are with Ms. Stutterheim as she receives medical care,” said the Elroy Police Department.