hot air balloon

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Balloon Pilot in Fatal Crash Had Ketamine in System

Four people were killed when it went down in Arizona in January

(Newser) - An autopsy reveals that the pilot of a hot-air balloon that crashed in the Arizona desert and killed four people had elevated levels of ketamine in his system, reports NBC News . Cornelius van der Walt, 37, and three passengers were killed when the balloon went down in January . While US...

Man Falls to His Death From Hot-Air Balloon

He fell while the balloon was over a residential area in Melbourne, Australia

(Newser) - A man fell to his death from a hot-air balloon Monday as it passed over suburban Melbourne, Australia's second-largest city. The hot-air balloon took off from Melbourne's northern suburbs early in the morning and was in the air for about 30 minutes before the man fell from the...

Hot Air Balloon Victim Texted Girlfriend as It Went Down

28-year-old victim sent text after she exited the balloon: 'This isn't going to be good, I love you'

(Newser) - Kinsey Taylor was one of eight skydivers who made a successful jump out of a hot air balloon on Sunday morning before it crashed in the Arizona desert, killing four other people still in the balloon and critically injuring one. Taylor's boyfriend, Chayton Wiescholek, was one of those who...

Hot Air Balloon Crashes Into Moving Train

3 critically injured in Wisconsin crash

(Newser) - Three people suffered what police described as life-threatening injuries Wednesday night after one of the rarest of transport collisions—a crash between a train and a hot air balloon. Authorities say the balloon hit a northbound Canadian National train in Burlington, Wisconsin, around 8:15pm, the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reports. Two...

Car Driving Under Hot Air Balloon Hit by Falling Man

Yogev Cohen worked for the balloon operator

(Newser) - "People are in shock. This is a very difficult event." So says Israeli law enforcement about an accident near Afula Tuesday in which a man fell to his death from a hot air balloon. The Jerusalem Post reports a crew member who was supposed to remain on the...

Pilot in Deadly Balloon Crash Had Cocaine, Pot in System

5 died after balloon hit power lines in New Mexico

(Newser) - Update: The hot air balloon pilot killed along with his four passengers in a crash in Albuquerque, NM, in June had drugs in his system, the Federal Aviation Administration says. A toxicology report released Wednesday says blood and urine samples taken from 62-year-old Nicholas Meleski show he had marijuana and...

Passengers OK After Balloon Pilot Falls to Death

Trees saved them during Vermont accident

(Newser) - The pilot of a hot-air balloon fell to his death in Vermont, though his passengers survived the ordeal. The harrowing incident took place Thursday near the border of Vermont and New Hampshire, reports NBC News . Authorities say the balloon at some point descended into a field, but the landing was...

Hot-Air Balloon Rider Had to Figure Out Controls Fast

Kentucky couple recount Las Vegas scare

(Newser) - When he took a ride on a hot-air balloon near Las Vegas last week, Kentucky's Tom Stenton didn't anticipate having to operate the thing. But as he and his wife, Shawna, explain to ABC News , he had to do just that amid a crash landing. The couple were...

Runaway Balloon Gives Crowd a Major Shock

One festival-goer says the balloon 'ran over' his mother

(Newser) - Yikes! A crowd of hot-air-balloon lovers got quite the surprise Saturday when a balloon plowed right into them, CNN reports. Attendees at the Missouri balloon festival scrambled as the basket crashed through a tree and skirted the ground while trying to land. One girl suffered a minor injury and a...

Here's What Was in System of Pilot in Deadliest Balloon Crash

NTSB reveals its findings about the July 2016 crash near Austin

(Newser) - The pilot in the deadliest hot air balloon crash in US history was probably impaired by opioids and sedatives when he ignored weather warnings and flew the ride into a power line , investigators said Tuesday. Besides Valium and oxycodone, there was a high enough dosage of the over-the-counter antihistamine Benadryl...

She Said 'Yes' to Proposal. Then the Balloon Crashed

No one injured in Edmonton incident

(Newser) - Since she was a child, Christine Peters had dreamed of going on a hot air balloon ride. Her dream finally came true on Saturday, reports ABC News , but if a wedding proposal didn't make the adventure memorable enough, the subsequent crash likely did. Peters had just gotten engaged to...

Man to Pay $20K Fine After 'Unconscionably Stupid' Stunt

Daniel Boria doesn't regret his actions and says he has 'the greatest story to tell'

(Newser) - In July 2015, a young man in Canada decided it was time to promote his cleaning company and hatched a plan: Tie $10,000 worth of industrial-sized balloons (around 100 in all) to a lawn chair with an advertising banner hanging from it, take off, and then leap from the...

Pilot in Deadliest US Balloon Crash Was on Scads of Meds
Pilot in Deadliest US Balloon
Crash Was on Scads of Meds
INVESTIGATION
Dec 10, 2016 6:04 AM CST

Pilot in Deadliest US Balloon Crash Was on Scads of Meds

Experts tell NTSB that some, like oxycodone, should have precluded Texas man from flying

(Newser) - The pilot of a hot air balloon that crashed in Texas in July, killing 16 people, was taking medications that should have precluded him from flying, medical experts testified at a federal hearing on Friday. Experts testified that Alfred "Skip" Nichols, who was killed with 15 passengers, went up...

Balloon Pilot in Deadly Crash Had 4 DWI Convictions

Skip Nichols wouldn't have been allowed to fly a plane

(Newser) - If Alfred "Skip" Nichols had been a commercial airplane pilot, he probably would have been grounded long ago. Nichols, the pilot of a hot air balloon that crashed over the weekend in Texas , killing 16, was able to keep flying despite having at least four convictions for drunk driving...

Newlyweds Among Dead in Worst US Balloon Crash

Pilot was arrested for DUI in 2000

(Newser) - Authorities have confirmed that 15 passengers and the pilot died Saturday in what is believed to be the deadliest hot air balloon crash in American history. The victims of the crash near Lockhart in central Texas include newlyweds Matt and Sunday Rowan, who were married just six months ago, People...

Hot Air Balloon Likely Hit Power Lines, Went 'Pop, Pop, Pop'

16 believed dead in what is likely deadliest such incident in American history

(Newser) - The hot air balloon that caught fire and crashed Saturday in Texas likely hit a power line in what appears to be the worst such disaster in American history, reports CNN . Officials aren't yet confirming the number of dead, reports the AP , though an FAA rep says that at...

16 Believed Dead in Hot Air Balloon Crash

 16 Killed in Texas 
 Hot Air Balloon Crash 
UPDATED
Jul 30, 2016 11:06 AM CDT

16 Killed in Texas Hot Air Balloon Crash

The balloon caught fire and crashed into a Texas pasture

(Newser) - A hot air balloon has crashed in Texas, killing all 16 people aboard, NBC News reports. According to the ABC News , a fire started in the basket of the hot air balloon before the balloon crashed into a pasture near Lockhart, Texas, on Saturday morning. The site of the crash...

Extreme Athlete Dies Setting Up Hot Air Balloon Stunt

Tancrede Melet, 32, was 'at arm's length' from the basket when he fell 100 feet

(Newser) - A French extreme sportsman described by the Inertia as an "inspiration to the working man" has died at the age of 32 after a hot air balloon stunt backfired, ABC News reports. Tancrede Melet, part of a daredevil group known as the Flying Frenchies , was setting up the stunt...

Record-Breaking Balloon Flight Ends in Mexico

Two Eagle pilots broke distance record by some 1.4K miles

(Newser) - Troy Bradley might have been exhausted and a bit dehydrated, but the words printed on his T-shirt said it all: "Failure is not an option." The accomplished pilot and co-pilot Leonid Tiukhtyaev of Russia flew farther and longer in a gas balloon than anyone in history during a...

2 Men Ballooning Over Pacific Set Record

'Two Eagles' now on course to break duration record

(Newser) - Two balloonists who took off from Japan early on Sunday have sailed past the world distance record and are still in the sky. American Troy Bradley and Russian Leonid Tiukhtyaev— the "Two Eagles"—passed the old record of 5,261 miles yesterday and are due to pass the...

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