[zookmaster]

More chance surviving a plane crash than a Balloon error.

[Desensitisation]

A burning flame from a gas canister filling a thin, flimsy bit of fabric in a flammable wicker basket.

What could possibly go wrong?

[huhwhatwhoa]

Terrible way to die....fall to your death while burning

[ferris209]

Update:

Hot air balloon operator who crashed into powerlines killing 16 was on a cocktail of drugs including Valium, oxycodone and Benadryl which meant he was NOT allowed to fly

Pilot in the deadliest hot air balloon crash in U.S. history was likely impaired by opioids and sedatives when he ignored weather warnings into a power line
Besides Valium and oxycodone, there was a high enough dosage of the over-the-counter antihistamine Benadryl in Alfred 'Skip' Nichols' system
The Federal Aviation Administration doesn't require balloon pilots to take drug tests or undergo medical evaluations like other pilots
Instead, it relies on honor system that pilot Alfred 'Skip' Nichols, failed
Experts said Nichols was taking medicine that should have kept him from flying
Toxicology reports revealed seven different drugs in his system a time of crash
Nichols, 49, also had a string of DWI arrests and multiple drug charges
By Associated Press
PUBLISHED: 11:14 EDT, 17 October 2017 | UPDATED: 17:20 EDT, 17 October 2017

Investigators say the pilot of a Texas hot air balloon that crashed and killed 16 people flew with enough Benadryl in his system to have the equivalent blood-alcohol level of a drunken driver.

National Transportation Safety Board investigators said Tuesday at a hearing in Washington that pilot Alfred 'Skip' Nichols also took sedatives and opioids that likely affected his decision-making during the July 2016 flight.

Nichols suffered multiple medical problems including type II diabetes, depression and chronic pain from fibromyalgia.

Some of those conditions should have prohibited him from operating an aircraft.

As part of his treatment, he was taking 13 prescription medicines, many of which are also prohibited for pilots at the controls.

A toxicology test performed on his body found seven different drugs in his blood and urine that were prohibited by the FAA, including oxycodone and the sedative diazepam, also known as Valium.

The balloon hit high-tension power lines before crashing into a pasture near Austin. It was the worst hot-air balloon disaster in U.S. history.

Nichols and 15 people on board were killed after the balloon burst into flames and plummeted to the ground.

Investigators say Nichols was told during a weather briefing before the flight that clouds may be a problem. But he allegedly replied, 'we just fly in between them.'

Fifteen minutes into the launch, the balloon's ground crew lost sight of it.

Nichols had at least four convictions for drunken driving and twice spent time in prison.

Nichols and 15 people on board were killed after the balloon burst into flames and plummeted to the ground.

Nichols and 15 people on board were killed after the balloon burst into flames and plummeted to the ground. Pictured are officials at the scene of the crash

The July 2016 crash in a pasture near Austin, Texas, was the worst hot air balloon disaster in U.S. history.

The National Transportation Safety Board could recommend new safety regulations at a hearing Tuesday in Washington.

Medical experts have said the pilot of the Texas balloon should have been grounded because of medical ailments and drug use.

Republican John Cyrier, a Texas lawmaker whose district includes the crash site thinks the NTSB will recommend that commercial hot air balloon pilots get the same medical screenings as those flying planes or helicopters.

The Federal Aviation Administration must ultimately approve any new oversight.

Nichols obtained his balloon pilot's license in Missouri in 1996.

At a National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) hearing in Washington last December, medical experts testified Nichols was taking medications that should have precluded him from flying.

The sheriff's office received a 911 call at 7.44am
Authorities said there were no survivors after the hot-air balloon carrying 16 people caught fire and crashed in Texas. The scene in Lockhart pictured above

Emergency services arrive on scene of hot air balloon crash

Such drugs can impair brain function and motor controls, according to the NTSB documents.

He had also been convicted of Driving While under the Influence five times and had been found guilty on three different drug charges. He was also jailed twice - once in 2000 and again in April 2010.

A former girlfriend described him as a recovering alcoholic, and stated he had been sober for about four years.

Nichols also had a long history of customer complaints against his balloon-ride companies in Missouri and Illinois dating back to 1997.

The crash was the deadliest single aviation accident in the US since 2009.



Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...#ixzz4vo1HXQAP