1 Dead After Hot Air Balloon Crash In Park County
By Jamie Leary
PARK COUNTY, Colo. (CBS4) -- One person died hours after a hot air balloon crash in Park County Friday morning. Two others were injured in what Park County officials are calling a "hard landing."
Park County Undersheriff Dave Wohlers confirmed the balloon went down east of Hartsel, of High Chaparral Road, at about 10:30 a.m.
The FAA and NTSB are investigating and say the balloon, a Cameron A-250 hot air balloon, lost control upon landing. The female passenger who was rushed to Penrose Hospital by Flight for Life died. The circumstances surrounding her death remains under investigation.
A pilot for the company, Colorado Hot Air Balloon Rides, said the morning was perfect. Tommy Cederlund, a pilot of 47 years, launched at the same time but in a separate balloon Friday morning.
"We could wave to the people in the other basket and take pictures of each other. The kids were blowing soap bubbles." Cederlund recalled.
Cederlund never gets tired of watching the joy on people's faces.
"The romantic part is what I want people to take away but after the day today…" Cederlund choked up thinking about it. "When it turned out she was really hurt… it's, um, really tough."
The NTSB says 11 people were on board the balloon when it crashed. Cederlund said there were two pilots, the owner a veteran pilot or the PIC (pilot in command) and another pilot with more than 300 flights under his belt.
Three people on board were injured; one of those three, a woman, was airlifted to the hospital in critical condition. Park County announced her death at 8:30 p.m. Friday. The woman's identity has not been released.
In Cederlund's career, he has never had a passenger injured. He says accidents in general a rare.
"With passengers, we don't take any chances," Cederlund said. "Flown probably 8,000 times. This is a newbie for me."
Jamie Leary joined the CBS4 team in 2015 and currently works as a reporter for CBS4 News at 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. She couldn't imagine a better place to live and work and will stop at nothing to find the next great story. Jamie loves learning about and hearing from her fellow community members, so connect with her on Facebook or Twitter @JamieALeary.
