Deadly balloon crash pilot had four drunk driving convictions
Monday, 03 Aug, 2016
0
As investigations continue into the deadly hot air balloon crash in Texas, oversight of balloon pilots has been called into question.
Pilot Alfred ‘Skip’ Nichols,’ who also died in the crash along with 15 passengers, had four drunk driving convictions and had been sentenced to prison for drugs offenses.
Unlike airline and helicopter pilots, Nichols did not have to disclose those convictions to the FAA, the National Transportation Safety Board said.
Balloon pilots are only required to self-report any drug or alcohol driving offenses within 60 days under FAA rules.
It emerged he had his driver’s license suspended twice.
The NTSB said there is no sign that excess alcohol played a role in the crash at this stage although toxicology tests have been carried out on Nichols’ body.
Nicholls, owner of Heart of Texas Hot Air Balloon Rides, was piloting the early morning pleasure flight when it is thought to have struck power lines near Lockhart, Texas on Saturday, killing all onboard.
He previously owned Air Balloon Sports in St Louis where he was involved in a landing which resulted in a lawsuit from an injured passenger, which was eventually settled out of court.
Heart of Texas Hot Air Balloon Rides was involved in a ‘hard landing’ in 2014 which injured two passengers but was not flown by Nichols, NTSB member Robert Sumwalt said.
TravelMole Editorial Team
Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Clearing CSS/JS assets' cache... Please wait until this notice disappears...
Updating... Please wait...
Qatar Airways offers flexible payment options for European travellers
Airlines suspend Madagascar services following unrest and army revolt
Digital Travel Reporter of the Mirror totally seduced by HotelPlanner AI Travel Agent
Phocuswright reveals the world's largest travel markets in volume in 2025
Strike action set to cause travel chaos at Brussels airports