A new National Transportation Safety Board report concluded that a fatal hot air balloon crash in 2024 in southern Arizona was caused by pilot error.
Last year in Eloy, around 65 miles southeast of Phoenix, a hot air balloon crash left 4 people dead, including the pilot. One person was seriously injured and eight others had skydived safely out of the balloon earlier in the flight.
The NTSB report said the probable cause was the pilot’s decision to open the “rapid deflation valve” as a means of descending. This deflated the envelope — or the canopy of the hot-air balloon. According to the balloon’s operation manual, the valve should only be used within 6 feet from landing.
The pilot was unsuccessful in his attempts to re-inflate the envelope, leading to the fatal ground impact.
