Pilot Escapes With Serious Injuries In Accident, One Of Three
Friday North Of ABQ
ANN
REALTIME UPDATE 10.10.08 1600 MDT: Family
members say Keith Sproul, pilot of the "Wings of Wind" balloon that
impacted power lines Friday morning near Bernalillo, NM, suffered
severe injuries in the tragic accident that claimed the life of his
passenger.
KOB-4 reports Sproul, 49, fell approximately 60 feet shortly
after the tetrahedron balloon struck power lines near a graded dirt
lot. Witnesses say the balloon contacted power lines twice, with
the second contact sparking a fire (shown in screengrab below) that
quickly engulfed the balloon's gondola.
"The gondola separated and fell, but the balloon continued to
rise. There was a large flame under the balloon, it rose so fast it
made the balloon take off almost like a missile or something," said
witness Paul Solozabal.
Spectators who responded to the accident scene found Sproul
unconscious. His co-pilot -- identified as Stephen
Lachendro by officials -- fell about 45 feet from the gondola
after the second power line contact, and was pronounced dead at the
scene.
Sproul was airlifted to University of New Mexico Hospital. His
brother told KOB Sproul suffered "burns to the face, a broken
femur, a broken hip, and punctured lungs."
The balloon was destroyed in the accident, one of three
incidents Friday involving balloons flying during the annual
Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta.
An 11-year-old boy is recovering after he fell out of a
gondola when his balloon landed hard about a 1/2 mile west of
where the "Wings of Wind" accident occurred, became entangled
in the balloon's lines and was dragged by his neck for about 20
feet. About 15 miles to the east, a 16-year-old female
suffered minor injuries when she was dragged during a
landing attempt. It is not known whether she was a passenger, or
part of the chase team.
Wings on Wind was involved in an incident at last year's Fiesta,
as well.
According to the NTSB, the balloon struck
a home while attempting to land in stronger-than-anticipated
winds.
Investigators with the Board, and the FAA, will be on sight
through the weekend to investigate the three incidents.
(Screengrab image from KRQE-13)
Original Report
0930 MDT: At least one fatality has been
confirmed in a hot air balloon accident near Bernalillo, NM, north
of Albuquerque on the last Friday of the annual Albuquerque
International Balloon Fiesta. A second person was
reportedly airlifted by helicopter, in critical condition.
KOAT-7 reports the balloon's gondola separated from the envelope
as the aircraft was approaching ground for landing. There are
unconfirmed reports the balloon's propane tanks exploded inflight,
and that one or both of the men onboard jumped from the basket
prior to the crash.
Another local television station, KOB-4, adds video footage of
the crash shows the balloon striking a power line as it approached
to land. Live footage of the accident scene shows the gondola lying
near a power substation, with numerous power lines in the area.
The basket fell to the ground from an unspecified height near
the intersection of Highways 528 and 550, rast of the Enchanted
Hills subdivision. The envelope flew on, eventually landing north
on the San Felipe reservation, about halfway between
Albuquerque and Santa Fe. The envelope's impact sparked a
small brush fire.
Witnesses tell ANN either the gondola or envelope may have been
aflame shortly before the balloon crashed. The balloon was of the
"inverted pyramid" type, an angular tetrahedron design distinct
from the typical style of hot air balloon.
770-KKOB cited reports from other pilots in the area, that winds
near the crash site were gusting as high as 16 miles-per-hour, at
least 6 mph higher than optimum.
This is the second ballooning fatality in as many years during
Albuquerque's annual ballooning event, which draws anywhere from
700-800 hot air balloons each year.
As ANN reported, a California woman was killed
when she fell 60 feet from a balloon in October 2007, after the
balloon became stuck on a fiber-optic line near an Albuquerque
intersection.
Initial reports say the pilot of the "Wings Of Wind" balloon
(shown on a trading card, above) was from Massachusetts, and was a
participant in the Fiesta.
All liftoffs from Balloon Fiesta Park, about 15 miles southeast
of the accident site, were grounded following the accident.
ANN will update this story as more information becomes
available.