A peaceful hot air balloon ride over the Nevada desert turned into a terrifying nightmare when the aircraft came crashing down with 10 people on board, leaving one passenger critically injured and several others hurt.
The frightening crash happened around 7 a.m. Thursday near Pahrump, Nevada, about 60 miles northwest of Las Vegas, according to the Federal Aviation Administration and the Nye County Sheriff’s Office.
Authorities said the balloon went down in the Stewart Valley Dry Lake Bed, a remote desert area west of Pahrump where cell service is spotty at best.
The first call for help came in the form of a 911 text message, with the person reporting the crash telling officials there was little to no cell service in the area.
Emergency crews rushed to the isolated scene and found multiple passengers injured after what officials described as a hard landing. The injuries ranged from burns to head wounds and other trauma.
By Thursday afternoon, one passenger remained in critical condition, according to the Nye County Sheriff’s Office.
Nye County Sheriff Joe McGill described the chaotic landing, saying the passengers inside the basket were thrown on top of each other as the balloon hit the ground.
“The occupants of the basket all fell on top of each other,” McGill told KLAS.
He said that during the rough landing, the basket appeared to roll or bump along the ground. At some point, the gas actuator was struck, causing the gas to ignite.
The sheriff said hot air balloons are a common sight in the area and regularly fly over the desert near Pahrump, but crashes with injuries this serious are rare.
“They come down all the time,” McGill said. “They fly out here almost daily, but this is the first time I can recall having injuries like this.”
Images released by the Nye County Sheriff’s Office showed the balloon after the crash in the wide-open desert.
The FAA said 10 people were on board at the time of the crash. Officials are expected to release more information as the investigation continues.
Additional details from the FAA could come as soon as Friday.
