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Written by: FELICIA FONSECA Associated Press
Published: June 26, 2021/09:23PM EST / Update: June 26, 2021/09:23PM EST
Pilot Ursula Richards, left, comforts fellow pilot Baz Bernacki at the scene of the deadly hot air balloon accident at Uncer and Mid-Southwest in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Saturday, June 26, 2021. Several people were killed in the accident. (Adolphe Pierre-Louis / The Albuquerque Journal via AP)
A hot air balloon collided with a power line and crashed into a busy street in Albuquerque on Saturday, killing all five people on board, including the parents of an Albuquerque police officer, police said.
Police spokesman Gilbert Gallegos said the accident occurred around 7 a.m. on the western side of the city. Police identified two of the passengers as Martin Martinez, 59, and Mary Martinez, 62 – the parents of a prison transport officer at the Albuquerque Police Department.
Police did not immediately release the names of the others but said the pilot, passenger and passenger were from central New Mexico.
Authorities said Martin Martinez also worked with Albuquerque police on a bike patrol, but was recently a sergeant with the local school district police force. Police Chief Harold Medina said some of the Albuquerque officers who responded to the crash worked with him and were sent home because it affected them.
“It really underscores the point that no matter how big we are, we are still a tight-knit community and incidents like this affect us all,” Medina said.
The Albuquerque Public School District said Martin Martinez “will forever be remembered for his lifelong dedication, courage, and selflessness to the law enforcement profession.”
The intersection where the balloon broke was still trapped late Saturday afternoon. Police spokesman Gilbert Gallegos said a multicolored balloon was coiling over the top of power lines, sending at least one dangling and temporarily cutting power to more than 13,000 homes.
The FAA said the gondola fell about 100 feet (30 meters) and crashed into the middle of the street, catching fire. A video posted online showed bystanders frantically calling for a fire extinguisher to put out the flames and praying loudly.
Gallegos said the balloon casing flew away, eventually landing on a residential roof. The FAA did not immediately have the balloon’s registration details but identified it as Cameron 0-120.
The authorities did not specify the cause of the accident. The National Transportation Safety Board sent two investigators to the scene Saturday to look at the pilot, the airship itself and its operating environment, spokesman Peter Knudson said. An initial report is usually available within two weeks.
Gallegos said it can be hard to handle hot air balloons, especially when the wind is blowing.
“Our airship drivers tend to be a lot of experts at sailing, but sometimes we have these kinds of tragic accidents,” he said.
Albuquerque is a hot air balloon mecca. The city hosts a nine-day event in October that attracts hundreds of thousands of spectators and pilots from all over the world. It is one of the most photographed events in the world.
Residents of the Albuquerque area are treated to colorful displays of balloons that float above homes and along the Rio Grande River throughout the year. While accidents are not uncommon, they do happen.
“This is a tragedy that one feels uniquely and strikes uniquely powerfully at home here in Albuquerque and in the bloated community,” said Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keeler.
Since 2008, there have been 12 fatal hot air balloon accidents in the United States, according to the NTSB database. Two of those happened in Rio Rancho outside Albuquerque, including one in January where a passenger who was ejected from a gondola after a hard landing died of his injuries.
In 2016 in neighboring Texas, a hot air balloon hit high-voltage power lines before hitting a meadow in the central part of the state. All 16 people on board died. Federal authorities said at the time that it was the worst disaster of its kind in US history.
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