FAA investigating after a hot air balloon crashed into power lines, injuring 3 people

By Jennifer Henderson and Kaila Nichols, CNN

(CNN) — Two passengers and a pilot were injured after a hot air balloon hit power lines in Indiana on Sunday and the Federal Aviation Administration is now investigating the incident.

The crash occurred in Lowell, Indiana – about an hour south of Chicago.

The balloon envelope – the part of the aircraft most people refer to as the balloon – and basket were found in a field, still attached, with the three individuals inside, the Lowell Fire Department said in a Facebook post.

There was also “evidence on the passenger basket that electrical current passed from the power lines to the basket and injured the three people in the basket,” according to the department.

The passengers’ burn injuries were so severe, two medical helicopters were used to take them to hospitals in Illinois: one was sent to Loyola Hospital and the other to the University of Chicago. The pilot was taken to Franciscan Hospital in Crown Point, Indiana, by an ambulance.

Local authorities called the National Transportation Safety Board’s Response Operations Center, which told responders how to secure the crash site and assigned an FAA investigation officer.

“The FAA will investigate the crash site and damage to the balloon envelope and basket,” the fire department said.

The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2024 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.