April 30, 2018
The U.S. House has approved a measure requiring medical checks for commercial hot air balloon pilots in an effort to avoid a re-occurrence of a 2016 crash that killed 16 people in Texas. The House voted Friday on a wide-ranging …
October 18, 2017
The National Transportation Safety Board has called on the Federal Aviation Administration to remove its medical certification exemption for commercial balloon operators, saying it contributed to a July 30, 2016, balloon crash in Texas that killed 15 passengers and the …
January 6, 2017
The ground crew leader for a Texas hot air balloon company involved in a 2015 deadly crash has been killed in a motorcycle accident. The Austin American-Statesman reports Alan Thomas Lirette was a key witness in the investigation into the …
December 13, 2016
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 Dec. 9. Experts also testified that …
August 3, 2016
The pilot of the hot air balloon that crashed on July 30 in Texas had at least four drunken-driving convictions, two prison stays and more than 40 customer complaints in his past, records show. Alfred “Skip” Nichols was identified by …
August 2, 2016
The pilot of a hot air balloon that crashed in Texas and killed all 16 people aboard was arrested in Missouri in 2000 for driving while intoxicated, and the Better Business Bureau warned consumers about doing business with the balloon …