Houston Chronicle: FAA finalizes rules for pilots created after 2016 Texas hot air balloon crash that killed 16

More than six years after 16 people died in a hot air balloon crash in Central Texas, the Federal Aviation Administration has started enforcing new rules on commercial balloon pilots that were devised in the wake of the tragedy.

The new FAA rules require hot air balloon pilots to hold medical certificates while they are flying with paying passengers. That means pilots would need to submit to medical exams.

The new rule was proposed by Texas lawmakers, including U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett and U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, after the July 30, 2016, balloon crash in Lockhart.

Sixteen people were killed after the balloon crashed into a high-voltage power line. It was the deadliest crash involving a commercial hot air balloon in U.S. history. An investigation after the crash determined the pilot, Alfred “Skip” Nichols, was under the influence of prescription drugs and suffered from medical ailments that should have raised red flags at the FAA.

Before the new rule, balloon pilots weren’t required to undergo medical screenings.

The new rule was approved by Congress in 2018, as part of legislation that funds the FAA. However, it took more than four years for the aviation regulator to implement the rules. In a statement, Doggett said the FAA “inexcusably delayed and delayed for years” before finalizing the rules.

“For the many who prayed and mourned the loss resulting from this unnecessary tragedy, know that you have been heard,” Doggett said. “We cannot bring these precious lives back. But, now that this is finally implemented, we hope no more families will be exposed to the horror of a crash from an impaired pilot.”

Cruz in a statement said the new rule “will help to make sure the tragedy in Lockhart never happens again.”

The FAA didn't begin its rulemaking process until November 2021, Doggett said. The agency issued its final rules last week.

In the time between when Congress passed the rule and when it was implemented, there was at least one fatal hot air balloon crash involving an impaired pilot. In September 2021, five people died in Albuquerque after an impaired pilot crashed a balloon into power lines.