Luftsport - Ballonghavari i New Mexico - BBC / ASN

 

Hot air balloon crash kills four in Albuquerque, New Mexico

Published

53 minutes ago

IMAGE COPYRIGHT


REX FEATURES

image caption

It's thought the balloon hit a power line before crashing to the ground

Four people have been killed and one more is in a critical condition after a hot air balloon hit a power line in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

The basket the passengers were riding in detached from the balloon and crashed, according to the city's police department.

Witnesses on Twitter described seeing the balloon fall to the ground in a completely deflated state.

The incident cut off power to more than 13,000 people in the area.

The balloon hit the power line just after 07:00 (13:00 GMT) on Saturday, police spokesman Gilbert Gallegos said.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said the basket fell about 100 feet (30 meters) and crashed on a street before catching fire. The balloon floated off before coming to rest elsewhere.

Two men, including the pilot and two women died in the crash.

Joshua Perez, was in the area when he heard the crash. He rushed to the scene with another man and helped turn off the propane tank. Mr Perez told KOB4 News that those inside the basket were not moving.

"To see a balloon go down like this, it's heart-breaking," he said.

The cause of the accident is being investigated by the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board.

Date:	26-JUN-2021
Time:
Type:	Cameron O-120 hot air balloon
Owner/operator:
Registration:
MSN:
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 4 / Occupants: 5
Other fatalities:	0
Aircraft damage:	Written off (damaged beyond repair)
Category:	Accident
Location:	Albuquerque, NM -    United States of America
Phase:	En route
Nature:	Passenger - Non-Scheduled/charter/Air Taxi
Departure airport:
Destination airport:
Investigating agency:	NTSB

Narrative:
The hot air balloon struck powerlines and impacted the terrain in southwest Albuquerque, New Mexico. Four out of the five people onboard were fatally injured.