Medical Certificates Required for Balloon Pilots Carrying Paying Passengers
The NTSB has published the new medical rules for commercial hot air balloon pilots, codifying a change brought on by the Lockhart, Texas accident of 2016. The new rule requires pilots of hot air balloons carrying paying passengers to hold a medical certificate just like fixed and rotary-wing aircraft pilots. The recommendation was made following an NTSB investigation into the Lockhart incident, where a balloon carrying 16 people crashed into nearby power lines. All aboard perished in the incident.