"It goes back to the issue of oversight of commercial balloon pilots," Sumwalt said. Missouri court records show four drunken driving convictions on the record of pilot Alfred “Skip” Nichols, 49, between February 1990 and March 2010. “"The vent [at the top of the balloon] being open would be consistent with the pilot trying to land," Sumwalt said. Aside from his drunken driving convictions, the Better Business Bureau in St. Louis issued a warning to customers about Nichols’ business, then called Manchester Balloon Voyages, and later, Air Balloon Sports. His Texas company, Heart of Texas Hot Air Balloon Rides, did not respond to request for comment on Monday.

Source: Los Angeles Times August 01, 2016 21:45 UTC