A Cupertino man was among four people killed Sunday morning when the hot air balloon they were riding on crashed in Arizona.
Atahan Kiliccote, 24, died in the crash, which happened at 7:45 a.m. in Eloy, a town northwest of Tucson, Ariz.
Also killed in the crash were passengers from Michigan and Indiana, as well as the balloon’s pilot, who was originally from South Africa but had been residing in Eloy, according to the Eloy Police Department. A resident of Scottsdale, Ariz. was critically injured.
The balloon — a Kubicek BB 85 Z — appears to have plummeted from the sky about 15 minutes after sunrise, when a yet-to-be determined problem affected the balloon’s envelope, according to the National Transportation Safety Board. The envelope is essentially the portion of the hot air balloon that is filled with hot air and is most visible to onlookers.
An exact cause for the crash remains under investigation. However, no mechanical issues were found with the balloon after the crash, the NTSB said. Investigators also removed the balloon from the basket, and “everything appears to be intact.”
Still, a thorough examination of the envelope will be conducted for any “anomalies.” NTSB investigators also plan to review an electronic device that may have information about the flight, as well as a camera recovered from the scene.
The balloon was operated by Droplyne Hot Air Balloon Rides, an outfitter that advertises rides over scenic landscapes and historical landmarks in Arizona and Utah. The company’s flight in Arizona soars over the Sonoran desert and Native American ruins dating back 7,500 years, according to its website. Droplyne touts itself as “the only balloon operator in the country to take flights up to 2 miles,” calling it “an experience of a lifetime.”
A total of 13 people — eight of whom were skydivers — were in the balloon at the start of the trip Sunday morning. All of the skydivers appear to have jumped out of the balloon’s basket safely before issues became evident with the balloon, Eloy police said.
The Federal Aviation Administration is also investigating the crash.
