LOCKHART, Texas (AP) – Heart of Texas Hot Air Balloon Rides has suspended operations after a gondola hit a high-powered transmission line Saturday in Lockhart, Texas and caught fire, killing all 16 passengers.
The crash “has taken from us our owner and chief pilot, Skip Nichols, as well as 15 passengers, all of whom saw what was planned to be a special day turn into an unspeakable tragedy,” Sarah Nichols, Skip Nichols’ mother and the company’s operations manager, wrote on Facebook late Sunday.
Spokesman Matt Missentzis confirmed the veracity of the statement on Monday.
Asked about the status of Nichols’ Missouri-based Air Balloons Sports LLC, Missentzis said “any businesses that the family was involved in involving hot air ballooning should be considered to be shuttered.” He added that all scheduled flights were canceled and that the company is working with customers to ensure they get their money back.
The 49-year-old Nichols had a long history of customer complaints against his balloon-ride companies in Missouri and Illinois dating back to 1997. Customers reported to the Better Business Bureau that their rides would get canceled at the last minute and their fees never refunded.
In a lawsuit filed against Nichols in 2013, a passenger said she was hurt when Nichols crash-landed a balloon in the St. Louis suburbs.
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