They are the 65-year-old pilot, Daniel Kirk; and two passengers: Natalie Lewis, 24, and Virginia "Ginny" Doyle, 44.
Both Lewis and Doyle were members of the University of Richmond women's basketball program, the university said.
We are deeply saddened by the tragic event and the loss of Ginny. Words cannot express how we feel or our remorse," the Doyle family said in a statement Monday. "She touched the lives of many and lived life to the fullest. She will be greatly missed and holds a special place in all our hearts."
What authorities still do not know is what caused the balloon to drift into power lines, catch fire and crash Friday night. Police and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating.
Norm Hyde, spokesman for
festival host Meadow Event Park, said Federal Aviation Administration
inspectors were on site #Friday, checking balloons and safety records
before the balloons took off.
All the #balloons' safety records were up to date, he said.
Weather conditions are one of the elements investigators are looking at, NTSB air safety investigator Heidi Moats said.
There was no inclement
weather at the time and, so far, officials don't believe those
conditions played a role in the crash, Geller said over the weekend.
Thirteen hot air
balloons had been soaring on the eve of the Mid-Atlantic Balloon
Festival in Doswell, and three were landing close to each other. Two
landed safely, Geller said, but as the third balloon descended, it hit a
power line, sparking a fire that spread quickly.
The pilot began doing
his safety maneuvers and "took every step to manage the situation,"
Geller said. But then there was an explosion, and the basket and balloon
separated.
Source: CNN News
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