Prague/ Austin, USA, Aug 1 (CTK) – The Czech company Balony Kubicek confirmed to CTK yesterday that it was the producer of the hot air balloon that hit power lines, went on fire and crashed into a field near the town of Austin, Texas, killing the 16 people aboard on Saturday.
American media reported that the investigation is trying to reveal the cause of the accident, which has been one of the most tragic hot air balloon crashes in the world.
The ropes that connected the balloon with the basket burnt and the basket hit the ground. It seems that the visibility during the flight was not good.
Kamila Kolarova, from Balony Kubicek, said the balloon whose passengers died was made in 2014.
She said the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is the only institution that is authorised to provide information on the causes of the accident.
“We cannot provide any further comment on the case until the investigation is completed,” Kolarova said.
She said the company has been in contact with the investigators since the beginning of the investigation.
Balony Kubicek has been making hot air balloons for nearly 30 years. Making over 80 balloons a year, It is one of the three biggest producers in the world. Almost all of the balloons are sold abroad.
The balloon was operated by the Heart of Texas Hot Air Balloon Rides firm that considered the pilot very experienced. However, U.S. media revealed information that challenged his reliability.
kva/mr/pv
