A search party of more than 100 police and rescue workers found
the remains about 100 yards north of where the second body was
discovered on Saturday, police said.
"Now that the male pilot and two female passengers have all been
located, this concludes the large-scale search efforts of the
operation," Virginia State Police spokeswoman Corinne Geller said in
a statement.
The father of the pilot identified him as Daniel T. Kirk, 65, an
Army veteran with over 30 years of balloon piloting experience.
"He was an excellent pilot," Kirk's father, Donald, told Reuters,
adding that he had flown with his son at least 70 times. "He
probably had at least 100 trips a year. That was his
life."
The University of Richmond on Saturday had named two of its women's
basketball officials as among the three people aboard the balloon.
Authorities said they would not identify the victims until the
medical examiner's report.
Crews were still looking for the wreckage of the balloon and basket,
which became engulfed in flames, killing all three on board when it
hit a power line during a hot air balloon festival Friday evening.
Witnesses posted photos and video online showing a balloon in
mid-air with its basket on fire and a trail of smoke spilling into
the sky.
Two explosions were heard and the gondola separated from the balloon
and crashed into the woods, authorities said.
Based on witness accounts, the pilot attempted to regain control of
the balloon and manage the fire, and the two occupants were seen
exiting the basket, police said.
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The University of Richmond in a statement said that associate head
coach Ginny Doyle and director of basketball operations Natalie
Lewis were in the balloon.
Doyle was a former basketball star at the University of Richmond who
graduated in 1992, and Lewis was a championship swimmer at the
school and graduated in 2011, the statement said.
"Words cannot begin to express our sorrow," said Keith Gill, the
school's athletic director. "We are all stunned by the tragic news."
The crash occurred during a hot air balloon festival at Meadow Event
Park. The Saturday and Sunday events were canceled.
The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation
Safety Board were investigating the accident.
(Additional reporting by Victoria Cavaliere; Editing by Leslie
Adler)
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