A Texas man who fell during a weekend hot air balloon mishap in Bossier City was recovering Monday after surgery as the Federal Aviation Administration began investigating.
Rick Ashby, 54, of Longview, Texas, was listed in good condition, according to an LSU Hospital spokesman.
The 18-year pilot broke his ankles and wrists after falling between 20 and 50 feet, his family said Monday.
Ashby and an unidentified female passenger fell out of the ULTRAMAGIC SA M-56C as it crashed Sunday morning near Bass Pro Shops in Bossier City during the Centennial Hot Air Balloon Rally, an event celebrating the city's 100th birthday. The two were playing a game in which basket occupants try to drop beanbags onto targets on the ground.
After the crash, the aircraft started drifting, and Ashby grabbed a rope attached to the basket. Witnesses, including a Bossier City police officer, have given different accounts on how far he fell after the balloon pulled him into the air. It eventually landed without a pilot across Red River after hitting a light pole on Clyde Fant Parkway.
The woman had a few bruises but did not need medical attention.
The FAA is examining Ashby's credentials and background, the balloon and environmental factors, said Roland Herwig, a spokesman for the agency.
Ashby is listed with the FAA as the owner of the airship, manufactured in 2004.
Investigators also will look into the background of Ashby's passenger.
An investigator spoke Monday with the Bossier City officer who was a witness, city spokesman Mark Natale said. The Police and Fire departments are otherwise not involved.
Sunday's accident is the second locally in less than a week in which the FAA is investigating.
That agency with the National Transportation Safety Board is trying to determine what caused the helicopter crash that killed Joseph Benjamin Grammer, 36, and Jeffery Daniel Legro, 24, on Wednesday between Hosston and Vivian.
The Fairchild-Hiller 1100 went down in the woods south of Black Lake Bayou off state Highway 2. The newly purchased, refurbished chopper was en route from Century, Fla., to Grammer's flight training school near Las Vegas.
A preliminary report is expected this week, but a final determination could take six months to a year.
Lets hope this dude is not allowed to particpate in any other events until he has received some further training.
A Longview, Texas, man was injured Sunday morning when the hot air balloon he was piloting fell to the ground near Bass Pro Shops in Bossier City, causing him and a female passenger to fall out of the balloon.
Rick Ashby, 54, and an unidentified woman were participating in a game of throwing bean bags out of the balloon to hit targets on the ground when the balloon crashed, said Bossier City spokesman Mark Natale.
Ashby and his partner had already made their attempt to hit the target when the balloon was on its way down, said spectator Tim Eddington.
The balloon did seem to be descending pretty fast, Eddington said, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary when the balloon hit the ground.
As the balloon started to ascend back into the sky, Ashby grabbed a rope tied to the balloon in an attempt to prevent it from flying away.
"People around were telling him to 'Let it go, let it go,' because it just kept going higher and higher," Eddington said.
The balloon continued to rise and Ashby finally let go and fell to the ground.
Eddington, who took photos of the accident, said, "He fell 20—30 feet and the balloon crashed into a clump of trees."
A nearby Bossier City officer also witnessed the incident and estimated Ashby's fall to be between 30 and 50 feet, Natale said.
Ashby was transported to LSU Hospital with what appeared to be "broken lower extremities," Natale said, but nothing life-threatening.
The woman had a few bruises, he said, but didn't require any emergency medical attention.
The pilotless balloon flew over the river into Shreveport, where it finally landed on a light pole on Clyde Fant Parkway, Natale said.
No other injuries were reported.
The event was part of the weekend's larger Centennial Hot Air Balloon Rally, one of the many events celebrating Bossier City's 100th birthday this year, Natale said.
