Rescue teams have discovered the body of the third victim of the hot-air balloon that burst into flames and crashed after colliding into a power line in Virginia on Friday.
No names have been released by the police but family members and the University of Richmond said that associate head coach Ginny Doyle and director of basketball operations Natalie Lewis were passengers onboard the balloon that crashed.
On Sunday, Donal Kirk said his son, Daniel T Kirk was piloting the balloon.
Preparations for the University of Richmond’s graduation ceremony on Sunday was filled with sadness due to the crash.
“Words cannot begin to express our sorrow,” Keith Gill, the school’s athletic director, said in a news release. “We are all stunned by the tragic news. Our thoughts and prayers go out to their loved ones.”
“As alumnae, classmates, and colleagues – and as invaluable and devoted mentors for our student-athletes – Ginny and Natalie have been beloved members of our community,” university President Edward L Ayers said in the news release.
The university canceled two weekend baseball games and held a moment of silence at commencement Saturday for its law school.
Witnesses to the crash described a horrifying sight on the special preview night for the Mid-Atlantic Balloon Festival, set to open Saturday. The event was cancelled and about 740 people showed up for the preview.
On the ground, “It was complete silence,” spectator Nancy Johnson said. “There were people praying. It was horrible.”
The balloon that crashed was among 13 of the balloons that lifted off on Friday night from Meadow Event Park, home to the State Fair of Virginia, and was reaching a landing site nearby. According to the police, two of the balloons landed safely before the third one hit the live power line.
State police spokeswoman Corinne Geller said that the pilot attempted to retain control of the balloon and snuff the fire and two passengers either fell out or jumped out of the gondola.
“Then witnesses recall hearing an explosion and the fire continued to spread,” Geller said.
According to Geller, another pilot who was interviewed by investigators described how the pilot tried to open vents to release extra-hot air in an attempt to keep the balloon from rising faster. “Based on witness accounts, he did everything he could to try to save the passengers’ lives,” Geller said.
The National Transportation Safety Board is also investigating the crash.
Troy Bradley, former president of the Balloon Federation of America, said most serious accidents on balloons, including fires, electrocution or baskets becoming severed, happen after hitting power lines. Most of the time it’s due to pilot error, he said.
Fatal accidents happen less often than with other types of aircraft, Bradley said.
“Hundreds of thousands of flights will go without any notice. That one that hits the news gets all the attention, but ballooning is a very, very safe form of aviation.”
Johnson, who attended the festival with her husband, photographed the balloon after the accident. She said the crash near the park about 25 miles north of Richmond occurred in an instant.
“One minute the balloons were hovering in a field behind Event Park, the next everyone is pointing at sky,” she said.
