TX: Lockhart hot air balloon with 16 on board burns and crashes - no survivors

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ELB
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Re: TX: Lockhart hot air balloon with 16 on board burns and crashes - no survivors

Post by ELB »

My wife bought a ride on a hot air balloon for me (us) for my birthday awhile back. Couple times when we were scheduled to go got weathered out, and other times we were busy/ill/etc (usually done on Sat or Sun mornings when air is calm). Take off locations were near Lockhart, San Marcos, etc depending on the weather. None of the stories I've read so far give the name of the company.

Might give this one a pass.


Aftermath from a distance, not the actual crash.

Cancel that, I think I got fooled, there's about a 100 clowns on Youtube pasting the story line on other balloon incidents.
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Rokyudai
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Re: TX: Lockhart hot air balloon with 16 on board burns and crashes - no survivors

Post by Rokyudai »

Just awful. Prayers to the families and friends.
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John Galt
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Re: TX: Lockhart hot air balloon with 16 on board burns and crashes - no survivors

Post by John Galt »

I flew balloons for 25 years. It can be a safe and beautiful sport, but there can be some risks. I am curious about the details.

Without knowing any details, I am guessing that it was a fuel line leak that caught fire from the burner.
Last edited by John Galt on Sat Jul 30, 2016 1:51 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: TX: Lockhart hot air balloon with 16 on board burns and crashes - no survivors

Post by Rokyudai »

I've seen balloon accidents due to weather (Wellsville Balloon Ralley, Wellsville,NY circa 80's). That was scary as it was a freak storm blew in towards the end of the day. I'm sure that wasn't the case today but they just started investigating. Those poor souls.
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Re: TX: Lockhart hot air balloon with 16 on board burns and crashes - no survivors

Post by AJSully421 »

I hope that thing did not catch fire at altitude and they plummeted to the ground.

A balloon is somewhere on my "nope" list.
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Re: TX: Lockhart hot air balloon with 16 on board burns and crashes - no survivors

Post by Wolfgang »

Poor folks.
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Re: TX: Lockhart hot air balloon with 16 on board burns and crashes - no survivors

Post by John Galt »

From eye witness reports, it sounds like a power line strike with a major cross country power line. It must have been not long after launch (going by the time of day).
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Re: TX: Lockhart hot air balloon with 16 on board burns and crashes - no survivors

Post by SewTexas »

from what I was hearing earlier, balloons have just gotten too big. They're getting hard to navigate. this incident is so sad.
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Nano
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Re: TX: Lockhart hot air balloon with 16 on board burns and crashes - no survivors

Post by Nano »

Is 16 people in a balloon basket common place? I didn't realize they carried that many.
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Re: TX: Lockhart hot air balloon with 16 on board burns and crashes - no survivors

Post by John Galt »

SewTexas wrote:from what I was hearing earlier, balloons have just gotten too big. They're getting hard to navigate. this incident is so sad.

The larger balloons are slower to react to venting and burner blast.
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Re: TX: Lockhart hot air balloon with 16 on board burns and crashes - no survivors

Post by John Galt »

Nano wrote:Is 16 people in a balloon basket common place? I didn't realize they carried that many.
Some commercial ride balloons have gotten very large.
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Re: TX: Lockhart hot air balloon with 16 on board burns and crashes - no survivors

Post by Charles L. Cotton »

Nano wrote:Is 16 people in a balloon basket common place? I didn't realize they carried that many.
Keith, what's your take on this? I too have never heard of a 16 passenger balloon. That sounds like blimp or dirigible capacity!

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Re: TX: Lockhart hot air balloon with 16 on board burns and crashes - no survivors

Post by WTR »

The largest balloon built will handle 32. 8-24 is more normal. We have a large festival just North of me ever year and we have folks hit power lines every few years. I have balloons flying around me on cool summer morning.
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