SAN ANTONIO – As the National Transportation Safety Board continues its investigation into Saturday's deadly hot air balloon crash in Lockhart, Texas, which claimed the lives of 15 passengers and the pilot and has become the deadliest balloon-related disaster in the United States, the KSAT 12 Defenders learned more about past balloon accidents in Texas.
According to the NTSB's aviation accident database, there have been four other deadly balloon-related accidents in Texas. . All of those accidents had one thing in common: The balloons came in contact with power lines.
In 1992, two people were killed in Mesquite, Texas, when a balloon "contacted electrical power lines."
Two more people died in Houston in 1989 when a balloon struck power lines, setting the basket on fire. In that case, the NTSB cited the pilot's lack of experience as a contributing cause.
In 1983, two people were killed and one injured in an accident in Azle, Texas, when the balloon touched down beside a power line. The synopsis stated that when the balloon collapsed onto the lines, the voltage traveled to the basket, causing the fatal injuries.
In 1976, two people died when their balloon collided with wires in Jersey Village, Texas.
According to the NTSB, since 1964, the agency has investigated a total of 775 incidents involving hot air balloons, with a total of 70 deaths across the country.
Despite the fatal accidents, the Balloon Federation of America, which represents hot air balloon operators, said it's still safe to fly in a balloon.
"The hot air balloon is the oldest form of aviation in the world," said Jeff Chatterton, spokesman for BFA. "It is by far and away the simplest, and we think it's one of the safest forms of aviation just because of its very nature. There really isn't a lot that can go wrong with the equipment, which is why I think everyone in the entire industry is certainly in shock and feeling tremendously sad over the incident."
While there have been questions raised about a lack of oversight for the balloon industry, Chatterton said they are open to working with federal regulators.
"If there is something that we can do in order to create safer skies and a better aviation environment for everyone, we want to do it," Chatterton said.
Currently, there is no easy way for passengers to research a balloon operator's safety record. Chatterton said it's up to customers to do their homework before taking flight by asking plenty of questions.
"We understand passengers may be nervous," Chatterton said. "No one is going to get offended by answering questions, but if they do get offended, quite frankly, you don't want to be flying with that particular person in the first place."
Chatterton said these are some good questions to ask your balloon pilot:
- How many hours of flight experience do you have?
- Are you familiar with the environment in which you are flying?
- Do you have proper amounts of liability insurance?
Chatterton also suggests looking for operators who are members of the BFA's Balloon Ride Pros website, which lists members of the group. That won't help people in Texas, however, because there are no Texas companies listed as members of the BFA.
Other than checking online review sites where other customers have written reviews, there's not much more customers can do to ensure their safety.