Tragedy in the Arizona Desert: Hot Air Balloon Crash Kills Four – ‘Something Catastrophic Happened’

Four people tragically died in a hot air balloon accident in the Arizona desert on Sunday. According to KSAZ-TV in Phoenix, the crash took place about 7:50 a.m. in Eloy, about 50 miles northwest of Tucson. Police said…

IJR SyndicatedJan 15, 20243 min read

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“The incident appeared to occur very quickly,” he said. “It’s just an absolute tragedy for our community and for the people that we’re working with today.

The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration will now conduct an Investigation that will involve taking the Aircraft to a special facility for closer inspection.

“We are working closely with federal agencies, including the NTSB and FAA, to investigate the cause of this tragic event,” the police department wrote in a Facebook post.

“While we continue our efforts, we ask for your thoughts and support for the families and loved ones affected during this difficult time.”

KNXV-TV in Phoenix, citing family and friends, identified two of the victims as Katie Bartrom, 28, a registered nurse from Indiana, and Cornelius van der Walt, the balloon’s pilot.

“It hit me as a shock. Just because, you know, Cornelius is always super careful. He’s very, very aware of what he’s doing. He’s been doing it for a long, long time and he only got better with time,” skydiver David Boone told the station.

“He was just an excellent balloon pilot. It’s not like he wasn’t experienced dropping skydivers. There’s definitely different way to do it. So he knew what he was doing.”

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Although hot air balloon accidents do occur, companies that organize the flights say they are rare.

“According to the Aviation Accident Database put out by the FAA, hot air ballooning is the safest form of all air travel and are rarely involved in aviation crashes,” notes Seattle Ballooning, a Washington-based company that sells flights in the Seattle Area.

“When compared to other forms of transportation, hot air ballooning is even safer. In fact, you are more likely to be injured while driving a car than you are while flying in a hot air balloon. This is because hot air balloons only fly in good weather and slow wind, which helps to prevent accidents.”

This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.