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The Kubicek BB 85 Z balloon went down on Sunday in Eloy, about
65 miles (100 km) southeast of Phoenix, the U.S. National
Transportation Safety Board said in a statement on Monday.
The cause remained under investigation.
"The balloon impacted desert terrain following an unspecified
problem with its envelope," the NTSB said, referring to the
outer bag of the balloon.
An initial inspection found no mechanical anomalies as both the
balloon and basket appeared to be intact, the NTSB said, adding
that the envelope would be inspected later. An electronic device
containing flight information and a video camera have been sent
to NTSB headquarters in Washington for further analysis, the
NTSB said.
"It is important to clarify that the skydiving was intentional
and was successfully completed by all skydivers before any
issues with the hot air balloon were evident," the Eloy Police
Department said in a statement.
Police identified the four dead as Chayton Wiescholek, 28, from
Union City, Michigan; Kaitlynn Bartrom, 28, from Andrews,
Indiana; Atahan Kiliccote, 24, from Cupertino, California; and
the pilot, Cornelius Van Der Walt, 37, a South African national
living in Eloy.
Survivor Valerie Stutterheim, 23, of Scottsdale, Arizona, was in
critical condition, police said.
The company operating the flight, Droplyne Hot Air Balloon
Rides, had a perfect safety record, according to its website.
Company representatives did not immediately respond to requests
for comment.
Droplyne said it conducts daily flights that rise up to 10,000
feet (3,000 meters) elevation from either the Eloy area of
Arizona or Moab, Utah, depending on the time of year.
(Reporting by Daniel Trotta in Carlsbad, California; Editing by
Michael Perry)
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