Published August 01, 2016
The Latest on the fatal hot air balloon crash in Central Texas (all times local):
7:15 p.m.
A Missouri police officer says the man who piloted the air balloon that crashed in Texas was arrested in 2000 on a felony driving while intoxicated charge and pleaded guilty to misdemeanor DWI in 2002.
Officers arrested Alfred G. Nichols in Missouri where he lived before moving to Texas. The officer says that based on photographs he is confident the man arrested then is the pilot in the Texas crash on Saturday that killed 16 people. Nichols was known as "Skip" in both places and owned a hot air balloon touring company in St. Louis County at the time.
The officer spoke to The Associated Press on condition that he not be identified because he was not authorized to comment publicly.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported in 2008 that the Better Business Bureau had warned consumers about doing business with Nichols, the third time since 2000 that Nichols had gotten an unsatisfactory record for not responding to complaints. The paper quoted the BBB as saying Nichols was on probation in Missouri for distribution, delivery or manufacturing a controlled substance and that when asked to respond, Nichols said, "I prefer to make no comment on that."
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5 p.m.
As Matt Rowan and his wife, Sunday Rowan, prepared to take a hot air balloon ride they texted family and posted on social media pictures of the balloon set up, the rising sun, them in the basket.
Matt Rowan's brother, Josh Rowan, told The Associated Press on Sunday: "It's a bit haunting now but I guess it was a bit of a play-by-play."
He says that as word began to trickle out that a hot air balloon crashed Saturday morning their families hoped that it wasn't theirs, but it soon became clear it was.
Josh Rowan said the two, both 34, grew up in College Station. They had been friends since high school and just got married in February.
He says, "They were really happy and they were in love and they were really starting a life together."
He said that Sunday Rowan, who had a young son who wasn't with them that morning, worked at a clothing store and Matt Rowan was a researcher and scientist at Brooke Army Medical Center. His research centered on treating burn victims.
Brent Jones, the father of Sunday Rowan's 5-year-old son, tells Dallas television station KDFW that Matt Rowan was an amazing man and Sunday Rowan was "obsessed with her son's happiness."
Judy LeUnes, Matt Rowan's 5th grade teacher and a family friend, told the Bryan-College Station Eagle: "He was fun to teach. He was excited every day."
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4:25 p.m.
Federal officials say there is evidence that some part of the hot air balloon hit electrical wires before crashing, killing 16 on board.
Robert Sumwalt with the National Transportation Safety Board said at a news conference that the sheriff said it was foggy after Saturday morning's accident, but that it wasn't clear what the weather was like during the flight itself.
It traveled about 8 miles from takeoff to crash. The basket was found about three-quarters of a mile from the balloon material itself.
The balloon fell in a pasture Saturday morning near Lockhart, about 30 miles south of Austin. The crash site was near a row of high-tension power lines, and aerial photos showed an area of scorched land underneath. One witness described seeing a "fireball" near the power lines.
Sumwalt said the power line was tripped was at 7:42 a.m., and the first call to 911 came a minute later.
It is the deadliest such accident in U.S. history.
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4:15 p.m.
Federal officials say the hot air balloon traveled about eight miles before it crashed in Central Texas, killing all 16 on board.
Robert Sumwalt with the National Transportation Safety Board said at a news conference that the balloon was operated by Heart of Texas Hot Air Balloon Rides.
Sumwalt said the passengers met the balloon operator in the San Marcos Wal-Mart parking lot at about 5:45 a.m. Saturday, and traveled to Fentress Texas Airpark. Ground crew members told the NTSB that they didn't launch at the expected 6:45 a.m. time, but was delayed about 20 minutes.
Sumwalt said the ground crew communicated with the balloon by cellphone, and the pilot navigated with an iPad.
The first power line trip was at 7:42 a.m., and the first call to 911 was a minute later, but Sumwalt didn't specify whether the balloon hit the power lines.
It traveled about 8 miles from takeoff to crash. The basket was found about three-quarters of a mile from the balloon material itself.
He also said a fire expert will help investigate the crash, which is the deadliest such accident in U.S. history.
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2:20 p.m.
A Texas hot air balloon business owner who also does inspections says the balloon that crashed, killing 16, had "very good equipment, very new equipment."
Philip Bryant runs Ballooning Adventures of Texas in Richmond, which also does manufacturer-mandated inspections and maintenance for other operators.
He said Skip Nichols brought his balloon into his inspection facility in May 2014 and was issued a one-year recertification. Bryant said the manufacturer of Nichols' balloon mandates an annual inspection, and that the state of Texas does not inspect or regulate them.
Bryant said Nichols told him he moved from the St. Louis area to Central Texas because there was less competition.
Bryant said flying balloons in Texas can be problematic since hot temperatures create rising moisture in the air, meaning it's only possible to fly for about two hours after sunrise. The crash happened about 7:40 a.m. Saturday.
He speculated that pilot error likely contributed because the equipment was in good shape.
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1:25 p.m.
Records indicate that the apparent pilot of the hot air balloon that crashed in Central Texas and killed 16 was federally certified to fly balloons.
Nichols went by Skip, according to Alan Lirette, who identified Nichols as his boss, best friend and roommate. Lirette said he lived with Nichols in a home in Kyle, Texas, that county records show is owned by Alfred G. Nichols. Nichols moved south to Texas to be able to fly year-around, which the climate allows, Lirette said.
Authorities have not identified the pilot or passengers in Saturday's crash near Lockhart, Texas.
According to an online Federal Aviation Administration database, Alfred G. Nichols of Chesterfield, Missouri, was medically certified to fly in July 1996 and was rated a commercial pilot of lighter-than-air balloons on July 14, 2010. The rating is limited to hot-air balloons with an airborne heater.
Missouri records list Nichols as the owner of Air Balloon Sports LLC, based out of the same Chesterfield address as the FAA record.
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1:05 p.m.
Officials in Texas say the final death toll from the hot air balloon crash in Central Texas is 16 people.
Caldwell County Sheriff Daniel Law and the Texas Department of Public Safety confirmed the number of victims in a statement Sunday. The balloon crashed Saturday morning.
The statement says that the National Transportation Safety Board and medical professionals have said identification of the victims will be "a long process."
Authorities have not provided the reason why the balloon crashed or identifications of those on board. Alan Lirette told The Associated Press that his roommate and co-worker Skip Nichols piloted the balloon.
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12:40 p.m.
An ex-girlfriend of the hot air balloon pilot says that he was made for the job.
Wendy Bartch told the Austin American-Statesman (http://atxne.ws/2aqQPmw ) that she used to date Skip Nichols and had assisted him with a Missouri-based balloon business.
"He was a good pilot and loved people," she said, adding that he'd been involved with hot air balloons for about two decades.
Bartch also said Nichols was cautious about keeping his passengers safe and that at least two vehicles would follow the balloon on the ground.
Federal investigators have not publicly identified the pilot or the company that operated the balloon, but roommate and co-worker Alan Lirette told The Associated Press that Nichols piloted the balloon that crashed Saturday, killing at least 16 people.
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10:50 a.m.
A man who worked for the pilot of a hot air balloon says his boss was among the 16 people who died when it crashed.
Alan Lirette told The Associated Press that Skip Nichols was also his best friend and roommate a home in Kyle, Texas.
Federal investigators have not publicly identified the pilot or the company that operated the balloon.
Two officials familiar with the investigation who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to speak publicly have said Heart of Texas Hot Air Balloon Rides operated it.
Lirette said he was part of the team that launched the balloon Saturday morning, so he didn't see it crash. He did not say the location of the balloon launch.
He said there 15 people on board plus Nichols in a balloon that could have held up to 17 people total. He said several passengers seemed to be related.
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9 a.m.
The National Transportation Safety Board says they're particularly interested in any cellphone video of the balloon's flight.
NTSB member Robert Sumwalt said Sunday at a news conference in Washington that balloons don't have black boxes, but that cellphone video has been helpful in the past.
Investigators will be combing the wreckage looking for devices that have recoverable video shot by passengers. They'll also be reviewing any video shot by witnesses.
The crash happened Saturday morning in a pasture near Lockhart, which is about 30 miles south of Austin. At least 16 people died, making it apparently the worst such crash in U.S. history and among the deadliest in the world.
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8:30 a.m.
The federal safety agency confirms at least 16 people died in the hot air balloon crash in Central Texas.
Robert Sumwalt with the National Transportation Safety Board cautioned Sunday that investigators are still determining how many people were aboard the balloon when it crashed Saturday morning, but that he could confirm at least 16 had died.
That makes it one of the worst hot air balloon crashes in U.S. history.
During the brief news conference in Washington, D.C., Sumwalt said NTSB investigators were just beginning the process of determining what caused the balloon to crash.
He offered few details but said they would be looking into whether the operator of the balloon filed a passenger manifest before taking off, because balloons do not usually file flight plans.
The crash happened Saturday morning in a pasture near Lockhart, which is about 30 miles south of Austin.
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12:10 a.m.
A hot air balloon carrying 16 people caught on fire and crashed in Central Texas, and authorities say it appears no one survived.
Erik Grosof with the National Transportation Safety Board says a full-bore investigation was to begin Sunday after more federal officials arrive.
Authorities would not confirm the exact number of deaths in Saturday's crash, but Lynn Lunsford with the Federal Aviation Administration said the balloon was carrying at least 16 people. The Caldwell County Sheriff's Office said in a statement that it didn't look like anyone survived.
If 16 people were killed, it would be the one of the worst such disasters, possibly the worst in U.S. history.
Saturday's crash happened in a pasture near Lockhart, which is about 30 miles south of Austin.
https://www.foxnews.com/us/the-latest-balloon-pilot-had-record-of-dwi-in-missouri