ELOY, AZ – A deadly hot-air balloon crash occurred on Sunday. Four passengers lost their lives, and one is critically injured out of the thirteen total passengers on board. Eloy Police Department announced the incident, which took place around 7:50 a.m. in the desert area east of Sunshine Boulevard and Hanna Road.
The balloon’s operator, four passengers, and eight skydivers were the thirteen adults in the aircraft, according to Eloy Mayor, Micah Powell. The eight skydivers successfully jumped from the balloon just minutes before the balloon crash-landed due to an unspecified problem with its envelope, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) reported.
The NTSB is investigating the incident, wherein the exact cause of the crash remains unknown. Preliminary information has raised questions about a possible unspecified issue with the balloon’s envelope. The balloon crash-landed “fairly largely” after the balloon material went straight up and down, as reported by a witness.
While one person died on the spot, three others lost their lives in the hospital. The critically injured person was rushed to a trauma center in Phoenix.
The victims were identified as 28-year-old Chayton Wiescholek from Union City, Michigan; 28-year-old Kaitlynn Bartrom from Andrews, Indiana; 24-year-old Atahan Kiliccote from Cupertino, California, and the balloon’s pilot, 37-year-old Cornelius van der Walt, originally from South Africa, residing in Eloy. The critically injured individual was identified as 23-year-old Valerie Stutterheim from Scottsdale, Arizona.
The aircraft, made by Cameron Balloons, was an A-160 passenger balloon capable of carrying up to seven riders and a pilot. The NTSB investigators continue to investigate the crash site and examine the aircraft.